Entertwined Fates
by Coriserai
Summary: At the age of five, Naruto is tricked into removing the Kyuubi's seal. But something goes wrong...how will young Naruto's decision affect the rest of his life? Strong Naruto, relationships will stay true to the manga until I get an inspiration.
1. Chapter 1 Wounded

This is my first attempt at a fan fiction, so please try to take it easy

"Speaking"

"**Jutsu"**

"_Thinking"_

"**Kyuubi speaking"**

"_**Kyuubi thinking"**_

* * *

Stones were flying through the air, pelting the form of a small blond boy who was running as fast as his little five-year old legs could carry him. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he ran, hurt thoughts whirling around his mind. _"Why? Why are they doing this to me?? What did I do!?"_

"Kill! Kill the demon! The time to avenge our village and our Yondaime-Hokage is now!!" This was voiced by several people in the mob chasing the innocent child. The crown started shouting in unison with the war cry.

"Kill it!"

"Beat it!"

"Leave it in the forest to die!!"

The young child tripped, his body flying forward before landing with a terrible thud. The mob was on him like wolves to the slaughter. The screams of young Naruto were barely audible as he was buried within the writhing mass of people. He was beaten, his bones broken, his nose bloodied. Yet as the crowd was upon him, Naruto was growing quieter. To him, the pain was dulling down, the scene being pulled away. His eyes drooped down. _"What's going on? I am so sleepy…am I dying…?"_ The child closed his eyes, succumbing to the fog that brought easy, painless sleep.

"**Kukukuku….here so early? What a **_**pleasant**_** surprise…"**

Naruto's eyes snapped open upon hearing the voice. It was terrifying, yet…strangely, Naruto wanted to go to it and let it wrap around him like a blanket. He got up slowly, wondering where all the people had gone. _"They don't normally leave so early…where am I?" _He was standing in what appeared to be some sort of underground pipeline, like a sewer. There was a shallow amount of water everywhere, and his tatty clothing was soaked where he had been laying down. There was a huge gate, seeming to Naruto to be as big as the village gates. From those gates came the alluring voice. He walked forward slowly, wondering what was on the other side. _"Is it one of the village people…? Why is he locked up?"_

From the shadows of the gate stepped a fox, about the size of a Great Dane. It's fur was reddish-orange, save for the patches of black it had around it's blood red eyes. Nine Magnificent tails flowed through the air behind it, giving the appearance of long, flowing robes.

"**Greetings, kit. I am Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-tailed Fox, ruler of demons and the greatest of the Bijuu."**

Naruto could do nothing but stare at the large fox. Finally he managed to find his voice. "I-I am U-uzumaki—"

The fox waved away the stammered introduction. **"I know who you are, kit. But it would seem that **_**you**_** do not know who **_**you **_**are."**

Naruto looked at the fox, confusion in his eyes. The fox continued, sitting as close to the gate as possible. _**"I have to make this convincing if I ever want the brat to remove this seal…"**_ The fox gave the child one of his kindest looks, trying to hide the cunning behind his eyes. **"You are **_**not**_** Uzumaki Naruto. You are **_**Namikaze **_**Naruto, the first born son of the late Yondaime Hokage, who is the one who sealed me in you."**

Naruto did not really understand all of this. "You mean…my dad was—"

"**Yes. And I, regrettably, am the reason the villagers were beating you in the physical world."**

Naruto pondered this for a moment. His mind was full of questions. "Kyuubi…? Where are we?"

Kyuubi bided his time, deciding to answer these useless questions. **"We are in you mindscape, a mental area created by the site of sealing to hold whatever was sealed."**

Naruto looked down. "You are why everyone is so mean to me…? Why? What did you do!?"

"**I attacked the village. I tried to destroy it"** Replied Kyuubi simply. He was trying to think of a good way to lie of his true reason for attacking. **"The village…killed my mate. I was devastated. I did the only thing I could think of doing - get revenge."**

Naruto glared at the floor of the mindscape. _"He is why I am treated like dirt, and he was only trying to save his family. The villagers are…so mean!"_ He looked back at the fox, who had grown to his full size now that he had seen that the boy would not be scared by it.

"**I am sorry, kit. If I were not here, your life would be so much easier."** Kyuubi maneuvered one of his tails through the bars of the gate, wrapping it around Naruto in a makeshift hug. **"If you want, you can get rid of me and stop the villagers from ever hurting you again."**

Naruto looked up, sadness brimming in his eyes. "You want to leave…? But…you're the first person who's ever been nice to me…you're my first friend…I-I don't want you to go!"

Kyuubi was taken aback, first by being called a person and the second by having the mortal call him a friend. Quickly he tried to regain his composure. **"I promise, kit, that if you let me go I will visit you every so often. I might even treat you to lunch!"**

Naruto looked happier after hearing that Kyuubi would visit, and started walking forward to remove the seal. His hand stopped in midair, hovering uncertainly.

"**What is the matter, kit? I said that I would visit! Let me out!"**

Naruto looked up. "You _promise_??"

"**I promise…"** Kyuubi's watchful eyes flickered toward the seal that the young boy's hand was moving towards, a malicious grin plastered on his face.

* * *

At that moment Naruto was torn out of the mindscape with a horrific burst of pain as he was picked up and thrown over a Jounin's shoulder. Naruto howled bloody murder, his face contorted with pain. The dull-eyed ANBU winced, he was only saving the demon on the Hokage's order, and now he had to listen to it screeching in his ear?? They arrived at the hospital a few moments later, being only a few blocks away from the site of the beating. The Sandaime Hokage himself was waiting outside the hospital, to make sure that none of the surgeons refused to treat the small boy. Even with the Hokage's presence, it was with much reluctance that the doctors got to treating the boy. Only one doctor went without grumbling, and it was with much shock that she greeted the young boy. There was not a spot on his small body that wasn't bruised, bleeding, or broken, and under the fresh wounds were terrible scars from past beatings. She looked at the Hokage, tears brimming in her eyes. "Who did this??"

"Various village people, who are currently being investigated by Ibiki, Anko, and Inoichi." The Hokage sighed wearily.

"How long has this been going on?"

"A rather long time, I'm afraid. Judging by those scars, I'd say he's had beatings before, but none as severe as this. I believe they really _were_ trying to kill him this time around. I just wish I had found out about this sooner…"

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto had been put under sedative, being drawn into his mindscape once more. He had decided to talk to the Kyuubi some more, who, eager for his freedom, answered all of the boy's questions truthfully and pretended to be interested in what the child was saying. After all, it's not like the boy would _survive_ after Kyuubi got out!

"Why do people call me Uzumaki if my real name is Namikaze?"

"**It was done for your own protection. If people knew you were the Hokage's son, who knows what **_**vile, filthy**_** thing they would do to you!"**

"So I guess…I can't tell anybody about my name?"

"**No, kit, you cannot. It would just make life harder for you."**

"Kyuubi?"

"**Mmm?"**

"Can you stay a little while after you get out of the gate?"

"**I suppose it can't do any harm…"** Kyuubi was getting frustrated. The boy's physical body was going to die soon. The beating was too severe. The mindscape was slowly flooding as the young boy's struggles for life grew weaker. **"But right now, I must focus on healing your body. You are too hurt for me to leave just yet. At the same time, you must leave the mindscape now so that I may work in peace."**

* * *

In the physical world, the doctors were in shock as the boy's injuries began to heal and the bleeding stopped. The surgery was aborted for fear of the boy's skin and muscle tissue healing around their surgical tools. He was immediately removed to the recovery ward, where he was left alone to heal on his own. Meanwhile the Hokage pondered what was going on. _"It must be the fox. He's healing the boy's injuries because he knows that if the boy dies, he does too."_

Meanwhile the boy slept, and in his sleep he dreamed that he was the best ninja in the world, and everyone honored his power, with not a single thought to the fact that he once had a demon inside him.

* * *

Author's Note: Well that's it for now. Please review and tell me if you like what you see. I'll try to submit chapter two soon.


	2. Chapter 2 Removal

**A/N**

Oh, of course….I don't own Naruto or any of Masashi Kishimoto's characters, however I do own this story, so no sticky fingers!!

**"Kit…kit…KIT!!"**

"Wha-what?? What's going on??"

Kyuubi flicked his tail in annoyance as Naruto ran up to the gate. The boy had been asleep in the physical world longer than the fox had assumed, and he had been growing impatient.

**"You've been asleep for a rather long time."**

"What are you talking about? I just left the mindscape two minutes ago!"

The fox sighed. He had forgotten how tired the kid had been. He himself had taken a nice long nap after healing the boy and had woken up hours ago. **"No, kit. You've been in a coma for three days. You've been asleep both mentally and physically, which is why you can't remember sleeping that long."**

Naruto was still confused. "Why did you yell at me? You made me think something bad had happened!"

**"In a way, something will. You've been asleep for so long that people are starting to think that you won't wake up. The doctors are thinking that you're going to die even though you're healed."**

"But that's silly! If I'm okay why do they think I will die?"

Kyuubi sighed. He wanted to get to the matter at hand fast. **"Sometimes when someone goes through extreme trauma, their mind won't heal. Even after all physical wounds have healed, they could be dead mentally."**

Naruto couldn't understand half of what the Kyuubi said, so he simply asked another question. "Well then, how do I wake up?"

The fox grinned. He had been waiting for this moment. **"Simple. Just rip off this little piece of paper on the front of my gate, and you'll wake up and be good as new!"**

Naruto walked forward and took the tag in one hand. He could feel his heart beating against his chest, sounding like a trapped bird in a cage. Why did holding the seal make him feel so tense? He was shaking all over. Kyuubi grinned. He would be free very, very soon…

In the recovery ward of the hospital, the people who had been monitoring the demon child had been planning on euthanizing the boy, when the Hokage wasn't around of course. After all, they obeyed the Hokage's orders and waited for the boy to heal. But it had been three days, and the child was clearly not showing any signs of waking from his coma. The medic nin approached Naruto's bed, needle in hand.

"What do you think you're doing??"

The medic turned around to face a very angry doctor by the name of Junko Toshihiro. She was glaring daggers at everyone in the room.

"I said, what are you doing? Hokage-sama ordered you to keep him alive!!"

The medic looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. "Junko-sama!! I-I mean, we…Don't you know who this kid is? He is the **Demon**, the Kyuubi! Why are you defending him??"

Junko's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I know perfectly well who he is. He is Uzumaki Naruto, a hero who is wrongly blamed for the acts of the demon that is kept secure inside him!"

Everyone in the room looked confused as to why anyone would want to protect such a vile creature. Even so, as Junko gave the order for them to leave, they went without protest. Junko was the most violent doctor in their staff and wouldn't hesitate to strangle any one of them within an inch of their life.

Junko walked over to the other side of Naruto's bed and sat down on a chair close to it. Her eyes wandered from the small child's closed eyes to his stomach, where the seal was. She wondered if he was dreaming, and what he was dreaming about. Her fingers absentmindedly stroked his blond hair. _"Naruto…I can't imagine how life has been for you so far…but I want to make sure you pull through."_

The boy stirred, and Junko looked up expectantly. The air suddenly got heavier, a strange chakra was clogging her senses and making her cough. _"It feels like poison gas…What is happening? Naruto…what are you doing??"_

Naruto peeled one corner of the seal away. At that second he was hit with a massive wave of chakra that made him fall over.

**"I'm sorry, kit. I should have warned you about my chakra. It's not a good idea to peel off the seal slowly; it makes the process more painful than just ripping it off."** The fox was in no way sorry; in fact Naruto's reaction to just a tiny fraction of his chakra was highly amusing. It was just too bad that he would not stick around to watch the brat die; there was no way he would stay in this accursed seal longer than he had to.

Naruto regained his composure and approached the seal again. He grabbed the corner that had been peeled away and yanked.

He was engulfed in the demon's chakra as he sprinted past him. As the fox passed the child, he whipped him with one of his massive tails. **"FREE AT LAST!! GOOD RIDDANCE, WHELP! YOU'RE DEAD AS SOON AS YOUR MINDSCAPE VANISHES!!"**

The whole hospital room was flooded with evil chakra. The killing intent was so think you could cut it with a knife. Junko was knocked backwards by the force of the demonic chakra. Naruto woke up with a horrible scream as his entire body was covered with boiling red chakra. His body was racked with spasms as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Junko could only look on, terrified. She remembered the other villagers calling the boy a demon. She had refused to believe this, but now…She got up and struggled against the boiling chakra to approach the boy's bed. Naruto's screams had subsided into inhuman moans and whimpers as more of the chakra poured from his small body. Junko could only look on as he shuddered and was still. The chakra dissipated almost instantly as the boy went limp and fell out of his bed.

Heheh…sorry I took a while to update. Here's chapter two.


	3. Chapter 3 Realization

***

I don't own Naruto, but I do own the pencil stuck behind my ear. I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!

***

The fox ran and ran, but the mindscape never vanished. He slowed to a walk and let out a furious howl. Kyuubi quieted down and made his way back to the site of sealing. The gate was wide open, and the five year old brat nowhere to be seen. **"Must've been pulled out by one of the medics…"** Kyuubi approached the gate cautiously. **"He pulled the seal off…so WHY AM I STILL HERE??"** Howled the furious fox. He paced back and forth. **"Have I been too hasty? Is it possible that the seal was still too strong?"** As he passed the open gate, the tiniest flutter of white caught his eye. Getting closer, Kyuubi could see the smallest scrap of seal still stuck on the busted opening. He rushed forward with a furious roar, intending to gnaw off every bit of paper from the gate until he was free. However, it was clear that the seal was not going to come off to the demon fox. No sooner had he opened his mouth to bite the seal than he was blasted backwards. He shook himself off with a snarl and sat down to think it over. He would have to try to convince the brat to remove that remainder of the seal. _**"Of course, I'll have to build up his trust again…I don't think I'll be getting out any time soon, blast it!"**_ Kyuubi settled himself into a more comfortable position to wait for an opportunity to call the kid back to the mindscape.

Junko had finally managed to wake Naruto from his horrid nightmare. The chakra had receded back and he had been crying on her shoulder for the past five minutes, saying something about Kyuubi and the seal. She took his shoulders and looked the little boy straight in the eye. "Naruto…what happened? What about the fox?"

Naruto calmed down and looked at her. His eyes reminded Junko of a hunted animal. "Kyuubi…he said …'Take off the seal to wake up,' h-he told me that people would b-be nice to me if he was gone, and I-"

Junko paled. "You removed the seal?? What happened then?!?"

Naruto looked down. "He y-yelled at me and hit my shoulder and ran off…he s-said something about the mindscape going away…but when you woke me up, the mindscape was still there."

Junko looked a little puzzled. "So did the demon escape?"

Naruto hiccupped once and shook his head. "I can feel him. He's angry. He wants to talk to me again."

Junko rubbed her head, worried. "Do you want to talk to him? Are you afraid he's going to hurt you?"

Naruto gave a small grin. "He won't hurt me. He knows that I'm the only one who can free him now."

"What??" This was not the normal way a boy not even eligible to be in the academy yet should think. He was acting like a spiteful chunin or genin who could tell they had their enemy backed into a corner. Junko stared out the window, a thoughtful look on her face. "If you want to speak with Kyuubi, and he won't hurt you, I guess you can."

Naruto's smile faded. "But I can't just **talk** to him! I don't know how to get into the mindscape."

Junko smiled. "I'm sure you will figure it out. In the meantime, try to sleep. You're going to stay here until I'm sure that you are completely healthy!" She got up and walked across the room, pausing at the door to look back at him with a kind look before leaving.

Naruto flopped back onto his pillow. He **was** tired. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the mindscape. _"If this dumb fox wants to talk, I'll let him talk."_

"**Hello, **_**Naruto.**_**"** Naruto opened his eyes to stare right into the gigantic foxes red orbs.

Naruto wasted no time. "You tricked me!! You idiot fox! You hit my shoulder and tried to escape!"

The fox lowered his head in mock regret. **"Forgive me, boy, but I was excited to be free. I meant for no harm to come to you."**

Naruto snorted disbelievingly. Kyuubi got up and walked over to the busted gate. **"Listen, kit. There is a piece of the seal still on the gate. If you removed it—"**

"Forget it, you jerk! I'm_ never_ setting you free!"

Kyuubi let out a disgusted snort. **"Very well. I suppose you still think I intentionally hurt you."**

Naruto glared at the fox. "I have a question for you. How do I get in and out of the mindscape without having to be knocked out?"

"**How did you get in this time?"** inquired the fox, amusement on his face.

"I just kinda…made myself go."

"**Soon you'll be able to come here while awake. You just need to practice."** Kyuubi found himself enjoying answering the child's question. Having observed the boy for five years, he knew just how undeserved the cruelty towards him was…he shook his head. What was he thinking? Why was he feeling…almost…pitiful for the small mortal? He looked around. The kit had decided to leave the mindscape. He lay down to think. He called the boy here initially to get him to remove the seal. Now, after a talk that lasted less than ten minutes, he found himself wanting to stick around out of curiosity as to how Naruto planned to live his life.

"Hey…Kyuubi?" The fox looked down, startled. Naruto had decided to stick around after all.

"**What?"**

"Can you tell me about when you attacked Konoha? Like, who killed your mate?"

The fox was taken aback that Naruto actually still believed that story. The truth was that he had been recruited by an Uchiha Madara to help destroy the village. Kyuubi hadn't needed much convincing, however. All of the tailed demons had a serious bone to pick with at least one of the great shinobi nations, although Kyuubi couldn't quite recall what exactly had put any of them, including himself, out with the villages in the first place. A thought occurred to the fox. _**"Why don't I try to turn this kid against the village? It could do nothing but benefit myself and the other nine bijuu if he were to assist us in destroying the villages."**_ He thought back to the attack five years ago. Several of the ninja had been a lot of trouble to him. It would feel nice to turn a human against them as well. **"There were a few of them…a Hatake Kakashi, also known as the Copy Ninja. He's in ANBU, but when he doesn't wear his mask he covers his left eye with his headband. Then I can't recall the names of the others…a woman with purple hair, and orange rectangles on her face…I believe she was the Copy-Nin's teammate."**

Naruto looked away. "It's their fault you attacked, so that means it's their fault people are mean to me." When he looked at Kyuubi again, and this time there was fury in his eyes. "Kyuubi, I know why you want to escape, but I'm still not pulling the seal."

Kyuubi narrowed his eyes. **"I understand, kit. I guess it would do no harm for me to train you while I am still here."**

Naruto was taken aback. Be trained by the demon fox? The strongest of all the demons (or so he said)? He still wasn't sure he could trust this thing that had been, for the past weeks, tricking him. Still, it was not like he had to take up the offer right then and there. His earnest eyes searched Kyuubi's face for any of the wicked smile the fox had had when he tricked him. There was no smile, but…did Kyuubi look…almost kind? He rubbed his eyes disbelievingly, but the look was still there.

"**I can see my prospect has shocked you, kit,"** The fox chuckled. **"You see, for the past five years I've been thinking. I know you've had a rough time, and when I first met you I had no intention of becoming your…'friend'. But you're already starting to grow on me. You seem to have the power to cause every one to believe in you. Don't ask me how it works, kit, all I know is that now, looking at you…I feel compelled to be your…can you call it 'friend'?"**

Naruto looked at him. This was not the Kyuubi that had tricked him into pulling the seal. This couldn't be! But looking at him…the fox seemed sincere. "Kyuubi…what's the first part of our training?"

***

**A/N—**Heh…I honestly wasn't expecting to have this done the same day as chapter two…But I didn't have anything to do around the house, so…walah! XD

'But, Coriserai! There are only nine Bijuu! Why did Kyuubi say the **other** nine??'

Muufufufu…that, my friends, will have to wait until later!

***


	4. Chapter 4 Improving

***

I don't own Naruto, but I do own the pencil stuck behind my ear. I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!

***

As Junko strode through the halls of the hospital, several people practically tripped in their effort to scurry away before she could have bowled them over and trodden on their heads. She had been more violent than normal all week, keeping estranged doctors away from one Uzumaki Naruto, who had been put under the sole care of her. No matter what she threatened, they just couldn't quell their curiosity. Finally she had sent one of the better doctors to surgery on a stretcher and all inquiries about her patient ceased. She knocked on the door to the child's hospital room, and hearing no reply, let herself in with her key. Naruto was unconscious on his bed. For the past week he had been practicing visiting the mindscape, or site of sealing (depending on who you asked) without having to be forcefully knocked unconscious. He had been improving, but whenever Junko inquired as to why he would bother trying to do that, he simply replied that he might need to talk to the Kyuubi sometime and wouldn't want to be vulnerable. Now, where a five year old child had learned the word 'vulnerable' and how to use it properly, she couldn't say. All she knew that over the past seven days he seemed to become more mature, using more complex vocabulary and getting even more quiet than he had been when he first came out of his three-day coma. She sat down on the chair next to his bed just as his eyes fluttered and he sat up. It seemed he was now able to be aware of his surroundings in the physical world while still communicating with the Kyuubi in the mindscape.

"Hey there, Naruto! I bet you're tired of hospital food, huh?" Junko said with a smile.

Naruto nodded, a curious look on his face as she brought out a large box. "What's in the box, Junko-sama?"

Junko grinned and procured a bowl of steaming noodles. "This is Ichiraku's famous miso pork ramen! Go on, try it. I don't see why some of the doctors aren't giving you solid food yet."

Naruto took a mouthful of the hot ramen. His eyes widened and he quickly swallowed to look at Junko, beaming. "It's good!" He quickly finished the bowl, burning his tongue in the process. Junko finished her bowl and looked at Naruto thoughtfully. "Naruto." He looked up from his second bowl curiously. "What would you say to moving from where you live now?"

Naruto lowered his bowl and pondered it for a moment. "Where do you think I should go?"

Junko smiled. "I was thinking you could live with me and my younger sister. She's about the same age as you, so I figure you'll get along with her just fine."

The look of shock on Naruto's face was expected, but a moment later he ducked his head like a whipped dog. "I don't think she'll like me…no one does. Besides, aren't you afraid of the villagers beating you up?"

Junko looked sad. "I promise that I will do everything in my power to make sure that nobody in this stinking village will ever harm you again." She brightened up. "As to my sister, she'll love having someone her age to play with! She is shy, so she doesn't hang out with other children that much."

Naruto smiled. "I want you to be my Okaa-san, Junko-sama…if you don't mind."

"I'm the one who offered, silly!" Junko grinned. "I've already taken care of most of the paper work. You'll be moving into my house in less than a week, so if you have any things at home you want to take with you, we'll get them when you're released tomorrow."

"Hai 'Okaa-san'!"

Later that night Naruto was lying in the hospital bed staring at the ceiling. He wondered what Junko-sama's nee-chan was like. He knew she was shy, but nothing else about her. Heck, he didn't even know her name yet. He knew that he really should try to get some sleep, but he was too excited to sleep.

"**Kit…I'd like to speak with you. It's important, and since you're not in the mood to sleep I'd like for you to come now."**

"Yes Kyuubi-sama." Naruto shut his eyes and appeared in the mindscape. Since he had met Junko, the sewer like area that had represented his mindscape had started to improve. Kyuubi had told him that the area was so trashy because of the trauma his young mind had experienced. It seemed the Junko had been able to clean up some of the mess that was Naruto's life. Kyuubi walked down the mindscape hallway and sat down in front of Naruto, shrinking down to about the size of a Great Dane to look the child eye to eye. "What is it Kyuubi-sama?"

"**Naruto. Since the seal is almost completely broken, there is more then a fifty percent chance that you're going to become a hanyou. A hanyou,"** said Kyuubi, not waiting for Naruto to ask questions, **"Is a half demon. That means you will have two forms. Your hanyou form will be hardly recognizable compared to your human form. For one thing, you will look more feral. Your canine teeth and your finger/toenails will be sharper, like that of a foxes'. Your hair color might also be different, as well as your ears' shape and eye color, since I do have some influence over your hanyou appearance. Your human form, on the other hand, will experience very mild changes. I can't say what, as the changes are rather unpredictable. However, they will not make you stand out in a crowd **_**too **_**much."**

Naruto took this information in. "So I won't have a tail when I'm human, but I might have sharper teeth?" He pondered this for a minute. "I guess as long as it won't draw too much attention…Is that all Kyuubi-sama?"

"**Not quite."** The fox could tell that Naruto was tiring, and he wanted him to get some sleep for what he was planning the next day. **"Because the seal is so weak, there is a chance that I might be able to come out into the physical world-"**

"WHAT??" Naruto didn't wait for Kyuubi to finish. "I thought the seal was still holding you here!!"

"**Be silent, Naruto!"** growled the fox. **"Let me finish. I might be able to come out into the physical world, but only by your will. I would only be able to hold a physical body as long as you let me. Not only that, but as long as I am still sealed, there is no way I could maintain my actual body. I would have to use a human disguise. Either that or…"** Kyuubi paused for a second. **"It might be possible for me to be in two places at once."**

"What do you mean by that, Kyuubi-sama?"

"**I mean, I could walk the village as a human while sitting on your shoulder. Most of my chakra is off limits to me because of the seal remnants, but I still have enough to keep a human body and a fox's body…mind you, it would only be a small fox. And, using the fact that you are five and the seal is already as weak as it is…I'd assume that I would only be able to project my body to look as old as you are. In other words, I'd start off looking five like you and get older with you. And my fox body would start off as a pup."**

"Kyuubi…that's great!" Kyuubi blinked at the boy's enthusiasm. "We can attend the academy together! And, like, we could say that I found the fox abandoned and I'm raising it!" Naruto looked even more excited than he did when Junko discussed adopting him. "We might even end up the same team!"

"**Hold it, kit. I would like to attend the academy with you. But there is NO WAY I will become a Genin for this village and do D-rank missions! You're on your own for that!"** Kyuubi couldn't suppress a growl of amusement.

"Well, I'd still have you as a fox for my companion, so you can still go on missions with me!" Naruto gave a sleepy smile and rubbed his eyes. "Man…I'm so tired I feel it in my mind!"

"**I won't keep you any longer, kit. Get some sleep. You're going to want to be well-rested tomorrow for the things I have planned for you."** As Naruto vanished from the mindscape, Kyuubi smiled. _**"Well, Naruto...it's astonishing you aren't more bitter over what the villagers have been doing to you…I suppose I'll have to lend a helping hand to let you see the light…you are very naïve."**_

***

**A/N: **I changed a couple of things in this chapter to help it make a little more sense, e.g. I changed the honorific 'Sempai', which means upperclassmen to 'sama', which serves my originally intended purpose of showing deep respect.


	5. Chapter 5 Meet Kane

***

I don't own Naruto, but I do own the fake eyeball I scared my mom with the other day. I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!

***

Junko signed Naruto out the next morning and escorted him outside. He was bouncing around her all the while, chattering about random things and being oblivious to the angry stares sent his way when Junko's back was turned. Junko, on the other hand, was slightly worried about how he would manage in the few days it would take to finalize the papers. She finally decided to guard him without him knowing to make sure none of the villagers gave him trouble.

She shouldn't have worried.

As soon as they stepped out into the sunshine, people took one look at Naruto and scattered. It seemed that the pulse of Kyuubi's chakra that was sent out when Naruto ripped the seal had spawned some nasty rumors. Junko could see people keeping a safe distance and exchanging hurried whispers as Naruto ran past them.

"-and in a year me and your sister can go to the academy together and-"

Junko couldn't help but smile as she listened to the excited little boy. He was a completely different person from the withdrawn child she first saw in the hospital. They stopped outside the run-down apartment building, the only place Naruto had to call home for the past who knows how many years. Junko was unsure how long he had been alone, seeing as the Hokage informed her that, to his knowledge, Naruto had been supposedly in an orphanage for the past five years.

"Hey…Junko-sama?"

She looked down at Naruto, pulled off of her train of thought. He was staring at her with huge eyes. "What is it Naru-chan?"

"I said I would be going to one of the training fields today. Okay?"

Junko blinked. "Why?"

Naruto looked around. Seeing that he and Junko were the only ones on the street, he looked at her again. "Kyuubi-sama said he would be training me today, and I don't want to do it where a lot of people can see me."

"What?? Kyuubi-_sama?_ Said he would _train_ you??"

Naruto looked down. "Uh-huh. He said he wanted me to start my training early. He wants me to know some techniques before I enter the academy."

Junko wasn't sure she liked the idea of the Demon fox _training_ its' Jinchuuriki. Not only that, but hearing Naruto refer to it as 'sama' raised a red flag for her. She'd have to look into it later. However, she did agree that it would be good for Naruto to start training early so he'd be a little ahead of his classmates. "Alright…but don't push yourself!!" Naruto was already running off. She sighed and smiled. _"He'll certainly be a handful…it might do imouto good to hang around with him. It might help her come out of her shell."_

Naruto arrived at the seventh training ground. There were three logs set up near the Hero's Memorial Stone, and he scrambled up one and sat down. "Alright, Kyuubi-sama. What's the first step in my training?"

"**Before you do any physical training, you must first train your mind. You didn't **_**have**_** to come out here. Ah, well,"** Kyuubi waved his tail dismissively inside the mindscape. **"First we have to make your mindscape suitable. Let's make it look like this training ground."**

"Huh?? Change my mindscape?"

"**Like I said, it's a reflection of your mind and thought processes. You can change it however you want. And I would be **_**much **_**more comfortable with grass and trees in here. Just imagine it."**

Naruto concentrated on the training ground. He could see the changes taking place in the mindscape until it was a replica of the training area. The pipes that had snaked around in the sewer-like area representing his thought process changed into small streams running through the grounds. "Now what?"

"**Now you need to come completely over to the mindscape. Training will take place in here for at **_**least **_**six months, or until I think you're ready to train physically. Even after your mental training is done, we will start a new technique in here until I know your body can handle it physically"**

Naruto appeared in the mindscape. Kyuubi approached and took the form of a boy about Genin age. **"Let's begin with the basics."**

Naruto stared at the boy before him. "Wait! You said that since we were linked you could only look as old as I am!"

"**Only in the physical world. In your mindscape I can look as old as I choose."** Kyuubi waved his clawed hand to dismiss any more questions. **"We'll start with chakra. Chakra comes from two places: the energy in your body that exists in the trillions of your cells and the mental & spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience. Chakra is created by combining these two factors, although only ninjas are trained to use it. It can then be molded by hand signs to create jutsus. People have different chakra types, and learn jutsus that fit that type to give them a greater advantage. The first thing we must do,"** Kyuubi pulled a piece of paper out of thin air, **"Is to see what type of chakra you possess. Since we are linked, you will have fire type chakra like me. However, you will also have your own chakra type. It could be Water, Wind, Lightning, Earth, or you could have Fire, the same as me."** He tossed the paper at Naruto, who caught it. **"I want you to channel chakra into that paper. It may be difficult, since you only have the cellular energy and haven't had any physical or mental training, but since we're in the mindscape it should not be too terribly hard. By channeling chakra into that paper, it will show us what elemental type you possess."**

Naruto just looked at it, dumbfounded. "How am I supposed to channel chakra?"

"**Imagine your energy running through your body like blood, in channels that reach everywhere. You must take the energy and pull it into the hand that is holding the paper."**

Naruto closed his eyes. He _could _feel the energy coursing through his body. He tried to pull it up to his hand. It was harder than Kyuubi had let on. Eventually he could feel the energy making its way through his body toward his hand. He pulled harder. A sound like scissors cutting paper sounded out. He opened his eyes and saw that the paper had been sliced in two. A second later the pieces burst into flames. He gave a shout and dropped them on the ground of the mindscape, where they curled up and turned into ash.

"**Looks like you have wind-natured chakra. That's good, as wind fans flames and makes them stronger. Your **_**Katon**_** jutsus will be more powerful when you combine your wind chakra with them."**

Naruto looked at Kyuubi and smiled. "That's really cool! When do I start learning jutsus?"

"**We won't be doing that until you have perfect chakra control. Before this day is over I want you to be able to call me out into the physical world. It won't be too hard now that you know how to concentrate your chakra. Calling me up takes barely any chakra, as I won't be fighting the call. In the physical world, I need you to concentrate a small bit of your chakra into the seal on your stomach. I'll take care of the rest."**

Naruto exited the mindscape and once again struggled a bit to pull the chakra into his stomach, but as he did he opened his eyes and saw red chakra swirling around in the clearing in front of him before taking the form of a fox pup. It was the normal color for a fox, the reddish orange. Its tail had a black tip and its yellow eyes were outlined with black fur. The fox approached Naruto, who had jumped down from the log. _That was good. To call me up in my human form, you need to put out a little more chakra._ The fox didn't move its mouth, but Naruto could still clearly hear Kyuubi's voice.

"How can I hear you? You didn't talk!"

_We're connected. I'm simply projecting my thoughts into your mind with telepathy._ The fox stretched. _Ah! It feels so good to be in the physical world again!_

"Hey, Kyuubi? How come your eyes are yellow instead of red?"

_It is possible for me to change small aspects of my appearance to blend in more. How do you think so many demons managed to stay in hiding for so long? And by the way, kit...When you talk to me out loud in my fox form, you'll have to call me something other that Kyuubi. Same thing with my human form._

"Well what should I call you?"

_When I am a fox you should address me as Takeru. While I am a human you will call me Kane._ 'Takeru' jumped on Naruto's lap as he sat down. _You'll also need to go by a different name when you are a hanyou. Naruto is not a very common name. Might I suggest Kei? It's simple to remember. Now, back to the matter at hand…I need you to concentrate more chakra into the seal on your stomach._

Naruto did as he was told, and a few minutes later the red chakra swirled around again until it took the form of a five year old boy. He had dark red hair, the color of congealed blood, which went down to his shoulders. His eyes were the same blue as Naruto's. He was wearing an all black ensemble, a black long sleeve shirt that hugged his wiry frame and black pants that went to his ankles. His feet were bare, his toenails only slightly pointed. The same went for his fingernails. As he walked forward, Takeru jumped from Naruto's lap to 'Kane's shoulder. Kane flexed his wiry arm muscles. "Geez…I forgot what it was like to be a little whelp." He looked up at the sky. Naruto looked up too. He could see that the sun was going down. Kane turned and addressed Naruto. "We'd better head back-" he stopped and grabbed Naruto. Pulling him into the bushes, Kane make a complicated series of hand signs, and Naruto felt a strange sensation, like stepping through a wall of cold water. Kane let go of Naruto and put a finger to his lips. "Don't make a sound!" He whispered. As they watched, a man wearing an ANBU unit captain's outfit approached the Memorial Stone. His face was hidden by a dog mask, and his gray hair stuck out, defying the ridiculous thing called 'gravity'.

"That," whispered Kane in a barely audible voice "is Hatake Kakashi, the copy ninja of Konoha, the only son of Konoha's White Fang." As Kane said this, Naruto felt a rush of fury well up in him.

"_It's his fault Kyuubi-sama is sealed in me!"_

Kane tried to pull Naruto away, but Naruto broke his grip and walked into the clearing. Kane cursed under his breath as Naruto walked away. Now Naruto wasn't under his _Kitsune-Kakeru no Jutsu_ anymore - Kakashi could sense him. Kane dispelled the technique and stepped out with Naruto. Takeru jumped down and slinked away to wait for them.

"Hatake…Kakashi!!" The ANBU looked around, startled that the little boy he had sensed knew his name. Then he saw him. It was the little demon child, glaring right at him.

***

**A/N**: Heheh…If any of you have a sense of time, you'll know It's been a long time since I've updated. I promise the chapter six will be up in about a week, but after that I can't say for certain. So, really, please don't hold your breath…you'll be dead before I update. *sighs and leans back in chair*

*falls over in chair* Oh, translations! Here you are:

**Sama:** The honorific you give a person who has your very high respect. For example, Kabuto refers to Orochimaru as 'Orochimaru-sama'.

**Jinchuuriki: **Person who has one of the nine Bijuu, or tailed demons, sealed in them. (Example: Subaku no Gaara is Shukaku's Jinchuuriki.)

**Imouto:** My little sister

**Katon:** Fire style

**Kitsune-Kakeru no Jutsu:** Fox Veil technique. It renders the user completely undetectable to even the most skilled tracker, Ninja Hound or Shinobi. (I named this technique using my very small knowledge of Japanese language. Please tell me if there's a mistake in my terms.)

ALSO!! I will probably change the rating of this story in a little while. I realized it gets a bit gruesome, so it'll be changed to at least 'T' rating.


	6. Chapter 6 Meet Asami

***

I don't own Naruto, but I do own the dead plant on the porch. I am a plant killer… :( I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!

***

Hatake Kakashi was not one to be easily startled. So, when two boys that he had not sensed until a moment ago stepped out of the bushes glaring at him, and knew his identity behind his ANBU mask, it was a day for the record books.

"Hatake…Kakashi!!"

He recognized one of them. It was the little blond demon child. What was his name again? Naruto something. He'd have to ask the Hokage later. The other boy he had never seen before in his life. He looked the same age as Naruto, with dark red hair and the same blue eyes as Naruto. He was dressed in all black and was not wearing any shoes. What unsettled Kakashi about this unknown boy was the fact that he never knew a five year old could look…_seductive._ That was the only word to describe it. His face had a delicate angle to it, ending with a small pointed chin. His eyes were angled upward, not big and wide like other kids that age.

Kane stepped toward Naruto, flicking the occasional glance Kakashi's way. "Come on, Naruto…we have to head back. Junko-sama is probably waiting for us."

Naruto looked at Kane, a confused expression on his face. Kakashi was _right there. _Kyuubi could have extracted his revenge right then and there. He felt Takeru nudging a thought his way. _Don't you think it would be suspicious if an ANBU was killed the same day some strange boy shows up in the village? Besides, you must remember that my chakra has been depleted a great amount, maintaining two physical bodies. This is not our time to fight. Now LET'S GO. _Naruto gave Kakashi a disgusted glance before following Kane out of the training zone.

"Wait a second, the both of you!!"

Kane stopped, not bothering to turn around. Naruto looked back at Kakashi, feeling the ANBU's eyes drilling into him from behind his dog mask.

"I have a couple of questions for you. One, what are a couple of boys, not even old enough for the academy, doing in a training ground? And second, what is the dark haired boy's name? I've never seen you in the village before."

Kane slowly turned to face Kakashi, his icy blue eyes meeting the ANBU's eye holes. "My name is Kane. I've lived in this village for five years. I came here to…play with Naruto. Is that wrong?" His eyes narrowed.

Kakashi was taken aback at the child's cold tone. "I guess not…but your parents are probably worried about you. I'll escort you home."

The three walked out of the training grounds. Takeru sent Naruto a telepathic message saying he'd wait until the ANBU was gone to meet back up with them. As they walked, Naruto kept shooting uncomfortable glances Kane's way, wondering how he was going to explain the fact that he had no home. He heard Kyuubi call him from the mindscape, and he half retreated into it while managing to still follow Kakashi.

"**Listen up, kit. I'll tell him that I live at your old apartment. You'll say you live with Junko, then after he leaves you with her you'll say you'd like to sleep in your old apartment one more time and meet up with me. All right?"**

"_Yes Kyuubi-sama."_

Naruto came back into full reality just as Kakashi started speaking to him. "So where do you live, Naruto?"

"I live with Junko-sama. The medic ninja." Naruto managed to smile sweetly at Kakashi before falling back behind him with a disgusted look.

"What about you…Kane?"

Kane pointed at the apartment complex down the street they had just turned on. "I'm in those apartments. You can just let me go here. I have a key."

"All right, then. Come on, Naruto. Junko-sama's house is this way." Kakashi hesitated for a second before grudgingly taking Naruto's hand in his own.

Naruto wriggled out of Kakashi's grasp. "Don't touch me!!" he spat, glaring bitterly at the ANBU.

Kakashi was caught off guard, but he did not try to touch Naruto again. He didn't want to touch the kid in the first place, but most children he had seen liked holding someone's hand. It was like, to make sure their parent or whoever was still there. He wondered why Naruto didn't like him. I mean, _sure_, he himself had a deep dislike for the kid, but he had never done anything bad to him. _"I guess demons just don't like being touched"_ he thought sourly. As they approached the street where Junko's house was located, they saw said person walking up toward them.

"Thank goodness, Naru-chan! I was starting to get a little worried, what with you being out so late. Thank you for bringing him here," Junko said, addressing Kakashi on the last part. "How did you know where to bring him?"

Kakashi shifted from one foot to the other. Toshihiro Junko had been the last person to be apprenticed under Lady Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sennin. She had acquired the Slug Princess's level of medical ability and strength, and never hesitated to use it. She made everyone uncomfortable, and Kakashi was no exception. "He just told me he lived with you, so…yeah."

Junko smiled and took Naruto's hand. "Well, come on Naruto-kun. I want you to meet my sister now. Thanks again for taking him to me." She turned around and started walking away with Naruto.

"Thanks Inu-ANBU!" called Naruto, giving him a mock smile and waving. Kakashi shook his head. This is why he was never planning on getting a Genin team…kids were such a hassle. And he'd rather read his little orange book in his free time, anyway. He pulled out said book as he walked away, blushing and giving a perverted giggle as he read the first sentence at the top of the page.

"Naru-chan, here's my house. What do you think?"

Naruto stared. It was certainly a nice place. No chipped paint, no trash lying on the ground, flowers around the main walk. It looked big enough to house four people. A small girl with dark brown hair reaching her waist was sitting on the steps to the little front porch. When she saw Naruto, she jumped up and hid behind a potted plant by the front door.

"Naruto-kun, this is my little sister, Toshihiro Asami. Asami, say hi to Naruto-kun. He's your new brother!"

Asami peeked out from behind the plant, her hazel-green eyes meeting Naruto's icy blue eyes before they disappeared behind the plant again.

Naruto walked up to her and shyly extended his hand. Asami looked at it before blushing and taking it. "Hi Asami-chan…I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"Oh…n-nice to meet you." the girl stammered. She came out from behind the plant, still holding Naruto's hand. She looked at Junko, who was smiling at the little introduction. "Where is n-Naruto-kun sleeping, nee-chan?"

"I think he'd like the spare room next to your bedroom. We can get it set up tomorrow. Now, Naru-chan, are you hungry? We haven't had dinner yet; would you like to join us?"

Naruto's eyes sparkled. "Can I?"

Asami let out a tiny smile, blushing a bit. "That's a silly question, Naruto-kun. That's why she asked if you wanted to!"

Naruto gave out a little laugh as Asami giggled. _"It looks like they are going to get along great."_ thought Junko. _"I'm really glad I introduced them. A few minutes with Naru-chan and Asami already looks a lot happier."_

Later that night, Naruto was sitting quietly in their living room with Asami, trying to think of an interesting topic of conversation. Asami had gone back to her shy mode and was staring at the floor, flicking an occasional glance at Naruto.

"Well, Naru-chan. Do you want to sleep here tonight, or do you want to go back to your apartment?" asked Junko as she came into the room and saw the two of them flicking shy glances the other person's way.

Naruto looked up. "I wanted to sleep at my old place one last time, and get my stuff ready to move in tomorrow."

Junko nodded. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No thanks. I can find my own way back."

"All right, then. Take care of yourself." Junko was a little concerned about drunken villagers giving him problems, but she figured that if he thought he'd be fine it was alright.

Asami looked up. "Bye Naruto-kun…I mean Nii-san! See you tomorrow!"

A block away from his apartment, Naruto felt a pair of yellow eyes on him before Takeru ran up and jumped on his shoulder. _Where've you been, kit? You're back later than I thought._ The moon was high in the night sky as Naruto walked down the street with the little fox pup on his shoulder. _"Okaasan invited me to stay for dinner. I like her imoutosan. She's not mean to me like other kids."_ Naruto replied, nudging the thought at Takeru. He figured it would look kind of funny for him to be talking to an apparently normal fox. As they approached Naruto's apartment Kane opened the door. As he closed it Kane made a series of hand signs before going to sit on a chair.

"What was that Kyuu--I mean Kane-sama?" Naruto asked, looking at the complex inscription that appeared on the door.

"Simple security seal. I don't like being spied on." Kane growled. "But I need to talk about something important. Come to the mindscape with me."

Naruto appeared in the mindscape. Kyuubi again took the form of a fox and shook out his tails. **"Ah…I don't see how you humans manage to keep your balance without a tail. They're really quite useful. Any way, I need to talk to you about Hatake Kakashi."**

"What about him?"

"**You can't go around snapping and snarling at him. It just makes you look bad. Besides, right now Kakashi could very easily kick you to Sunagakure and back. You must learn to PICK YOUR BATTLES. Otherwise you're just going to get hurt."**

Naruto looked down, a sheepish grin on his face. "I guess you're right. Sorry about that, Kyuubi-sama."

"**Alright. Now that that's out of the way, you need to sleep. And, I think that since from now on you won't be living here I'll take the apartment. I don't want to draw attention by sleeping in a tree or on the ground as Kane. It just looks bad for a human to do that."** With that Kyuubi flicked his tails dismissively before sending Naruto out of the mindscape. Kane also snapped out of the meditative trance he was in before stretching out on the couch and falling asleep. Naruto spent another half hour getting the things he wanted to take to Junko's house, which wasn't a lot. Then he, too, fell asleep, dreaming of what living with Junko and Asami would be like. He could hardly wait for tomorrow.

***

**A/N**

Whoot! Another chapter! *dances*

Umm…I guess you guys want some translations. XD

Sennin: The legendary three ninja consisting of Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. Their skills are unmatched.

Inu: It just means dog. Since Kakashi wears a dog mask, Naruto pretends to not know his name and call him 'Inu-ANBU'

Nee-chan: Sister, used when referring to an older sibling.

Nii-san: Brother, usually used to refer to an older sibling.

Imoutosan: Younger sister

Sunagakure: Hidden Sand Village. I'm probably going to refer to all the hidden villages by their Japanese name unless I forget it.

Thanks peoples! Stay tuned, but don't hold your breath, for chapter seven!


	7. Chapter 7 Chakra Control and Ramen

***

I don't own Naruto, but I do own the pencil stuck behind my ear. I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!

***

The next morning Kane nudged Naruto awake before the sun was even up. "Come on, kit. It's time for training. Before you do anything with jutsu of any kind, you need to learn how to use your chakra. Come to the mindscape."

Kane leaped back on to the couch as soon as he saw Naruto awake. He slipped into a meditative position and closed his eyes. Meanwhile Naruto felt Kyuubi's presence appear in the mindscape in a stirring of red chakra. He, too, entered the grassy plains of the mindscape where Kyuubi met him, this time in the form of the Genin age boy. **"Alright, kit. I'm going to need a lake and some tall trees. To pull off some of the jutsus I'm going to teach you, you must have PERFECT chakra control."**

"Hey, Kyuubi-sama?"

"**Mm?"**

"Don't you think that if you want me to have good chakra control I should also master those in the physical world before we're done with my mental training?"

"**Well, it would get them out of the way…fine. After you master them here we will master them in the physical world before continuing the rest of your training."**

Naruto concentrated, making several very large trees and a lake near the center of the mental training zone. "So what's first?"

"**The first step to mastering your chakra is the tree-climbing exercise. You will have to concentrate your chakra to the soles of your feet and climb one of these trees without the use of your hands. Like so,"** Kyuubi walked forward and stepped up the tree, climbing up in it until he was out of sight beyond the branches. Five minutes later, Naruto heard him call. **"How high did you make these trees, Naruto?!?"**

"Um…you didn't say how tall so I…" Naruto turned red, a sheepish grin on his face. He heard Kyuubi sigh.

"**Well, in that case instead of reaching the top you will just climb as long as your stamina allows."** He jumped down and did several mid-air flips to slow his fall and land lightly on the ground. **"Now then, you must make sure you don't use too little chakra, or you will slip. You must also not use too much, as you will be blasted backwards. If you are up high, neither of the options is very pleasant. Make sure you stay focused. If you lose your concentration you will lose control of your chakra. Now, get to work!"**

Naruto ran towards the tree, concentrating his chakra into his feet. He started sprinting up the tree, but before he got ten feet up he slipped and landed hard on his back. He picked himself up and brushed some dust off. _"This is harder than he let on…I just barley learned what chakra __**is**__, and he expects me to climb up this tree…"_

Kyuubi, sensing the child's doubt, called over from the stump he was sitting on. **"High expectations from your sensei should be attempted to be met. If you master these exercises you'll be years ahead of other students when you get into the academy."**

Naruto nodded, new determination on his face. _"I'll be way ahead of the others…I'll master these so fast, Kyuubi-sama will be blown away!" _He charged up the tree again, but this time he was a little too hasty. He got up just a little farther than last time when he was blasted backwards and landed in the mindscape's lake. He emerged, spluttering, much to the amusement of Kyuubi. Giving a frustrated growl, Naruto charged at the tree again. This went on for some time, when Kyuubi called over with a bored yawn. **"Come on, kit. Time for us to take a break."**

Naruto shimmied down from the branch he had been catching his breath on and came over. "What do you mean US? You're not doing anything!"

Kyuubi glared. **"Hmmph. I see before you learn any jutsu you're going to have to learn some respect. Any way, I have something I want to ask you. What are you going to do when you enter the academy, in terms of your school work?"**

Naruto smiled. "I'm going to be the top of my class, I know it! I'll show everyone who the best of them is, and they'll put everything their parents said about me to the side and respect me!"

Kyuubi sighed. **"This isn't some game, kit. In the real life, a skilled fighter is one who hides their true potential. By doing so, they gain the upper hand in battle by shocking their opponent with something they would never expect. Kit, I want you to hide as much of your strength as possible. You are going to be known as the dead-last, the one who barely scrapes by in his studies. You will be noisy and obnoxious, and people will think of you as being annoying. I also want you to wear bright, loud clothes. People will never suspect that you have been training under the most powerful demon in the world. You will struggle with simple jutsus, and will be a horrible aim with weapons. Got it?"**

Naruto squirmed, unhappy about all the things Kyuubi was expecting him to do. In the end, he thought, Kyuubi did have a point. When he **did** rise to the top, everyone would be completely shell-shocked. "All right, Kyuubi-sama. What kinds of colors were you expecting me to wear?"

Kyuubi grinned. **"Orange is a color often associated with playfulness. No one takes it seriously because it seems immature. I think an orange jumpsuit would suit you quite nicely."**

Orange! Sure, it was a nice color, but…it wasn't one that Naruto wanted to **wear**, especially all the time. "A-all right, Kyuubi-sama…"

Kyuubi stretched out his arms, yawning. **"Let's go back to the physical world. We haven't eaten yet."**

They pulled out of the mindscape; Naruto immediately noticing an uncomfortable emptiness in his stomach. They had gotten up before the sun, and it was already past lunch. "Oh, man…um, where should we eat?"

Kane thought for a minute. "I remember how good that ramen was…why don't we hit that Ichiraku place?"

Naruto smiled. "That sounds good. Alright, to Ichiraku!" He said, his voice rising to a shout.

Kane looked at him with a disgusted expression. "What's with the hyper attitude? It's really annoying…and you didn't even use it for a whole sentence!"

Naruto gave a wide grin. "You wanted me to be a hyper idiot, didn't you?? Well, I might as well start now!"

Kane grunted, wishing all of a sudden that he had told Naruto to be an emo jerk instead of a hyper knucklehead. _"I guess this is my retribution…"_

They headed to Ichiraku, pointedly ignoring the glares that several people sent their way. Naruto was a very good actor, Kane decided. He was already passing off as a hyper brat in the eyes of everyone else. That orange jumpsuit would just complete his new fake reputation.

"Hey, Kane? Where is the Ichiraku place, anyway?" Naruto asked, looking around.

Kane took a deep breath. He could smell the ramen not too far away. "It's in that direction." He said, pointing. As they got closer he could hear the sound of sizzling noodles.

"Welcome!" exclaimed Teuchi and his daughter Ayame as the two kids entered their ramen shop. "What are you having?"

Naruto sat down at the bar stool, grinning. "I'll have a bowl of miso pork!" It was the flavor he had eaten the first time he tried it.

Kane took a brief look at the menu. "I'd like the beef, please."

"Coming right up!" said Teuchi, starting on their orders. "You two haven't been in here before, have you? How old are you?"

"We're a year away from the academy!" exclaimed Naruto, his weird grin growing wider. "This is our first time in your shop, but we heard about how great it was!"

"Is that so?" said Teuchi, smiling. "Well, then, the first bowl's on the house!"

"Really? Whoo-hoo! Thanks old man!" shouted Naruto. _"Ugh" _he thought. _"Being this hyper feels kind of weird. I hope Kyuubi-sama tells me to tone it down."_ He felt Takeru nudging a thought his way. _Sorry, kit. Annoying as this may be, that's exactly how I want you to act. At least until you're done with the Academy._

"_Yeah, yeah…I know. I was just hoping I could tone it down."_ Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kane shake his head no. _"*sigh* I guess I'll get used to it after a while. Can I at least be calm while we're training?"_ Kane subtly nodded. Naruto turned as Teuchi set down the bowl in front of him and Kane. "Here you are! Enjoy!"

"Thanks again old man!" Naruto said, tucking in. It was better than last time he tried it, warm and rich. Next to him Kane was also going at it. The beef, in his opinion, was better then the pork. He chewed the meat slowly, enjoying the flavor. Naruto finished his bowl first. As they left, they heard Ayame calling to them, "Come back VERY soon!"

Naruto turned around and waved, smiling. "We will!"

Kane smiled at Naruto. "That was…delightful. We should come here more often."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah! But I should start saving up my money. You can't expect them to give us free meals every time." He looked at the sky. The sun was still high, but it was starting to move towards the west slightly. "Looks like it's about an hour past noon." He turned towards Kane, who was walking silently and looking around at the village. "Should we do some more training?"

Kane shook his head. "You should meet up with Junko and get settled in. We'll resume the tree climbing tomorrow."

Naruto nodded. "All right. I'll get my stuff from my apartment and then leave you to it." They walked back and grabbed Naruto's things. After Naruto set out to Junko's house, Kane laid on the bed in the apartment that was now his. _"Huh. Seeing the kit's progress today, I wouldn't be surprised if he mastered the chakra control exercises in a week. He's certainly eager to learn." _He smiled, a feral look on his young face. _"Well, do not get too comfy with this easy training, Naruto…because before the year is up, You will have trained so hard you will claim to have been through Hell and back. Heh…and after you enter the academy, the training's going to get even harder!"_

_***_

**A/N:** Did I go on too much about the ramen bit? Sorry. I just felt like it was appropriate since Naruto likes ramen so much.

Also, I would like to extend my thanks to ArmorOfGeddon, Love4Death, and Chibi Strawberry, who helped me out with the honorifics and the Hidden Village names from the last chapters. I've made the necessary changes to the previous chapters, so now they make more sense! Thanks so much guys! *gives them cookies*

I don't think I need any translations for this chapter, but if you have a question feel free to ask.

*

Anybody want a **SPOILER?**

Kyuubi told Naruto that he was the most powerful of the Bijuu, but he sounds like he's exaggerating a bit… : )

*


	8. Chapter 8 Moving in

***

I don't own Naruto, but I do own the modem that apparently wasn't working for the past few days. I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!

***

When Naruto walked up to Junko's porch with his things, Asami was waiting for him. When she saw him, she jumped up and ran inside. Naruto smiled as he saw her peek out at him from behind the curtains. _"Junko-sama wasn't kidding…she certainly is shy…"_ Junko came out and greeted him before showing him where he would be sleeping. "I hope you're comfy with the bed…it hasn't been used in a while."

"This is great! Thanks Junko-sama!"

Junko was a little startled when Naruto shouted. _"He's a lot more hyper than last time…he must just be excited." _As she was leaving the room she called over her shoulder to Naruto, who was eagerly unpacking. "Tomorrow we'll get you some more things, like new clothes. I doubt the ones you have will fit a five-year old boy."

Naruto looked down at his tattered clothes. It was true, he decided. As Junko closed the door he stopped his over-eager unpacking and started paying more attention to the things he was taking out. The clothes, which were the vast majority of things he had decided to take, were all either getting too small, were too small, or they were damaged. Scorches, rips…as soon as he got new clothes, he was throwing all of his old ones out. He lay in the bed and retreated to the mindscape. To his surprise, Kyuubi was sitting on his stump and was apparently waiting for him. **"I figured you'd want to do some more training…"** Kyuubi's voice was gruff, but his eyes sparkled with amusement. **"Very well, then. Keep it up until you want to stop for the day."** Kyuubi wondered if he was being too lenient in his training, but when he thought back to how long they had trained earlier that same day he figured Naruto had already trained long enough to please him and could stop whenever he wanted to. _**"He just better not get lazy, or I'll have to get on him more about his training."**_ However, as he watched Naruto slide down the tree as slowly as he could before running at it again, it didn't appear that Naruto was one to stop just because he got tired. _**"That kid has a drive to be the best…and that will make him strong. Unless he goes overboard and kills himself."**_ Kyuubi dismissed the thought and amused himself by counting the number of seconds it took Naruto to fall off the tree. He certainly was getting better, he decided. They had just started the training that morning and Naruto was already getting up to about thirty feet every time he ran up. He made himself more comfortable on the stump to wait for Naruto to decide when to stop.

Asami walked down the hall to her room. As she passed Naruto's new room she paused and pressed her ear to the door. It was quiet. _"I wonder what he's doing…"_ she thought. She considered opening the door but chickened out, hurrying to her room and snapping the door shut.

Junko often got curious as to what Naruto did when he was training with the Kyuubi. When the Hokage heard that Naruto had ripped the seal he had started to panic, but he figured that since the seal was still in place and Naruto didn't seem in any way physically or mentally affected by the broken seal that he would not have to be too worried. He did, however, order an ANBU guard to watch the small boy. Junko had gone right to him when she heard that and demanded to see the ANBU he had ordered to watch the child. It was, in fact, the ANBU in the dog mask. She had worried about the ANBU until she recognized him bringing Naruto to her house the night before. As she headed down the hall of her house she heard Asami's door snap shut quickly. Junko wondered what her _imoutosan_ was up to, but dismissed it. She paused outside of Naruto's room and listened. It was really quiet…_"He must be in his 'mindscape'," _she thought.

"**Kit, stop."** Called Kyuubi, peering up into the branches of the infinitely tall tree. **"It's plain to see that you have mastered the tree climbing exercise."** It had been two days since they had started the chakra control exercises; three days after Naruto learned what chakra was and he had already mastered the first chakra control exercise! Never had the fox seen anything like it. **"It's about time for supper, isn't it? Best not let Junko and Asami waiting."**

Naruto jumped down, breathing hard. "I don't know how far I got, but it was really far!" He was beaming. "When can we start the next exercise?"

"**If you really want to, we'll start tomorrow. However, you really should let your mind rest. Practicing chakra control exercises in your mind is the same thing as getting the experience without the physical work. You don't want to experience mental fatigue. Actually,"** said Kyuubi, pondering the situation a bit. **"Instead of going to the next step tomorrow, you will start doing the first step **_**outside**_** of the mindscape. You'll find that chakra control in the physical world is different to doing it mentally."**

"Alright, then…I'll see you tomorrow, Kyuubi-sama." Naruto exited the mindscape and got up from his bed. He suddenly realized how exhausted he felt. _"This must be the mental fatigue Kyuubi-sama warned me about,"_ thought Naruto, swaying on his feet slightly. He left his room as Junko called him to come for supper. As he was going down the hall, Asami burst out of her room and almost bumped into him.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, ibokyoudai! I wasn't looking where I was going…" Asami blushed a little, getting flustered.

"It's all right Asami-chan! And just call me Naruto; you don't have to use all the formalities!" said Naruto, smiling. He found his cheeks aching from all the smiling and rubbed them. He followed Asami to the dining room and knelt at the table on the little mats.

Junko set out their food and they started eating. "So, Naruto-kun," Junko started. "You're going to be eligible for the academy next year?"

"Yep! I can't wait!!"

Junko smiled. "Yes, you and Asami will be one year apart." When Naruto looked at her with a puzzled expression, she continued. "Asami's birthday is in January. She'll miss the cutoff for the academy by about a month. Your birthday is in October, isn't it Naruto-kun? You'll make it in by a few months. You'll probably be close to the youngest in your class. And, that reminds me. The Uchiha's youngest son will be in your year."

"What does that have to do with anything?" wondered Naruto, scowling.

"That's right; you wouldn't know this. The Uchiha clan's compound is less than a block away. You'll probably meet their boy sometime; you pass right in front of the compound to get to the academy. You could walk to school together!"

Naruto looked into his tea, thinking. He was sure he had probably seen the young Uchiha before, but he wouldn't be able to pick him out from a crowd. _"Hey, Kyuubi-sama? Doesn't the Uchiha clan have that weird bloodline limit you briefly mentioned this morning?"_

"**That's the one, kit. It's called the 'Sharingan', or the wheel-eye. I'll tell you more about the different bloodline limits in the village later. However, I am curious about something else. Ask Junko about the Hyuuga clan."**

"Okaasan, what about the Hyuuga clan?" said Naruto, voicing the Kyuubi's question.

"Hm? Ah, let me think…yes, the main branch's oldest daughter will be in your class as well. I think the side branch's youngest member started the academy this year, but I couldn't tell you his name." answered Junko. She sipped her tea, thinking for a bit. "Two clan heirs…Naruto, you're lucky to be going into the academy this year. I don't think any other academy class had **two** clan heirs before. Yes, it will certainly be an interesting year…" She trailed off and stared into space. Naruto and Asami exchanged weird looks before leaving the table.

"Does she always zone out like that?" Naruto asked Asami in the hallway.

Asami giggled. "Only when she runs out of things to say. Then it's like she gets all spacey to try and think of an interesting thing to talk about. It never works, though." She giggled again.

Naruto grinned. "Hey! That's the first time you ever said anything to me without stuttering!"

Asami's face lit up in a shy grin. "Hey! I guess you're right! I guess now that we're friends I'm not so shy!" She twirled her hair, blushing a little. "Anyway, I'm going to my room now. I guess I'll see you later." She disappeared in her room, leaving Naruto in the hall before he, too, left for the sanctuary of his room.

"**Wake up, kit. We have to get to the training zone before much later or the streets will be full of people."** Thought Kyuubi, mentally nudging Naruto awake. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Takeru jumped off the foot of his bed where the little fox had curled up the previous night after sneaking through the window. Naruto sat in bed for a minute before getting up and going to his closet. He had picked out a dozen brightly colored clothes when Junko had taken him shopping, but he settled for an old black shirt, figuring he was going to get dirty. If what the fox had said was true, and the chakra control exercises were harder in real life, there was no doubt he'd be falling in the dust a lot. He left a note for Junko telling her where he was and quietly left the house, careful not to wake anyone. He walked down the street a little before Kane slipped out of the shadows and joined him. "Where are you going, Naruto? The training field's the other way."

Naruto pointed to a fenced off compound that was slowly coming into view. "I wanted to check out the Uchiha compound. Maybe see if their kid was out and about."

Kane sighed. "Naruto, it's too early in the morning. Any other child your age will probably be asleep for three more hours." Even as Kane said this, he detected movement in the compound; two sets of feet, one smaller than the other, were heading towards the main gate of the compound. Kane jumped in front of Naruto and hissed, "Hide, before they see us!"

Naruto frowned and nudged Kane aside. "Relax. It's not like you look like a demon right now. All they'll see is two kids walking down the street."

As he was speaking, a boy who looked to be about thirteen walked out of the compound, followed by a boy who looked the same age as Naruto. The younger of the two was chatting animatedly about training and his Nii-san. The older was giving a small smile every so often to show he was listening, but was for the most part silent. As Kane and Naruto got closer to them, the younger boy spotted them and clammed up a little. The older one turned around and nodded a greeting to the children before continuing down the street. "Sasuke, I'm going ahead to the training zone. Why don't you introduce yourself to these kids?" He left the three children behind in front of the compound. The younger one, Sasuke, was looking at Naruto and Kane with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

Naruto was the first to step forward. "Sasuke, right? I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and this is Kane!" Kane raised his hand to acknowledge his name, but didn't say anything.

Sasuke looked a little more comfortable upon the introduction. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. Sorry my Nii-san left you two with me…I get the feeling he doesn't like me much."

Naruto smiled that weird foxy grin of his. "Well you seem all right to me, Sasuke-kun!" His smile faded slightly, a puzzled expression occupying the vacant space. "Hey, why are you up so early anyway? It's like, five thirty or something!"

Sasuke frowned. "Well, why are YOU up so early?"

Naruto chuckled. "I'm just used to getting up early. So is Kane here. We like the quiet before people start moving around."

Sasuke smiled. "I was getting up early so I could train with my Ani…he said he would teach me a few training techniques today."

Naruto grinned. "Training? Cool! My Okaasan won't teach me anything until I'm in the academy. I guess you better catch up with your brother then!"

Sasuke nodded before running down the street. He called over his shoulder, "Bye Naruto-kun! Kane-san! See you later!"

After he was gone, Kane found his voice. "Kane-_san??_" he spluttered.

Naruto laughed, a real genuine laugh; not one of his fake ones. "What do you expect? You look just like a regular little kid!!" as they continued toward the seventh training zone, Naruto got a thoughtful look on his face. "So that was Uchiha Sasuke…he seems okay. I wouldn't mind having him on my team after I become a Genin."

Kane looked at Naruto. "You can't judge people on just one meeting. Things change, and people change. You can't expect someone to be the same as a Genin as they were as a pre-academy child."

"Still, he was nice even though he never met me before. It's a good feeling." Naruto grew quiet until they reached the training zone.

Kane scrambled up one of the big stumps that were set up at the training grounds. "Geez, I hate this five-year-old body. Everything is too tall!" He finally managed to make himself comfortable and faced Naruto, who was standing at the base of one of the taller trees in the grounds. "Alright kit. Start working on climbing that tree. Remember what you learned from the training in the mindscape."

Naruto nodded and charged at the tree. He started up but didn't get very far before he slid down and landed in the dirt. He got to his feet and brushed himself off. _"This is MUCH harder than what I did in the mindscape…"_ He tried to concentrate, blocking out everything but the tree. He focused chakra to his feet and ran towards the tree again.

Meanwhile Kane was chewing on a long blade of grass he had plucked. He spat it out and looked at it with a disgusted face before turning his attention back to Naruto while mumbling something like, "don't understand how some animals can eat that stuff all the time." He watched as Naruto was blasted backwards. _"Heh…it's the same as in the mindscape. He doesn't put out enough, then he puts out too much. He really needs to learn to find a __**balance**__…" _Kane made himself more comfortable. It was going to be a **long** day.

***

**A/N:** Now we're starting to speed up a little bit. And BEFORE anyone asks, NO this is not a yaoi fic. I'm probably going to keep relationships, as far as who likes who, the same as they were in the actual series. (Or in Naruto's case, who pretends to like who.)

Translations!

**Ibokyoudai: **Step-brother

**Ani:** Older brother

**Okaasan:** Mother. Naruto refers to Junko as Okaasan, Onee-chan (sister), or Junko-sama.

I guess it would also be a good idea to explain some family words and suffixes.

**Kun:** Used to address a boy whom you are familiar with.

**San:** Used to refer to someone you view as your equal in status. (That would explain why being referred to as 'san' would offend Kane, as he, being Kyuubi, has a bit of a superiority complex.)

.


	9. Chapter 9 Just A Regular Day, right?

***

I don't own Naruto, but I do own the pencil stuck behind my ear. I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!

***

Ever since the Hokage had gotten word that Naruto had torn the seal keeping the Kyuubi no Kitsune locked away five months ago, he had been on edge. He would have felt better if he himself could keep an eye on the child, but Junko Toshihiro had been angry enough with a single ANBU watching the boy. And Kakashi Hatake had been, in said ANBU's opinion, unfortunate enough to be assigned the kid. As he sat in a tree branch over looking Naruto's bedroom, he couldn't help feeling he had gotten cheated. _"I'm an ANBU, for pete's sake! Why do I have to babysit the demon container?? This is __**worse**__ than my Genin years…"_ As Kakashi stewed, he failed to notice that Naruto had slipped out of the house once again. When he peered into the window and realized that the kid had pulled another disappearing act, he had the brief panic that happened almost every morning before reminding himself that if he _really_ wanted to find the kid, he could. _"In the meantime…"_ he thought, flipping his little orange book open. _"I should get another chapter in…"_

Kyuubi couldn't help being impressed with his young Jinchuuriki. In a mere week, he had completely mastered the water-walking and tree-climbing exercises. Now they had been mentally sparring in the mindscape for the past five months. They still went out to the training ground every morning, but they didn't see any more of the young Uchiha or his older brother. Naruto and Kane both enjoyed the quiet of the training ground, preferring it to Naruto's bedroom and Kane's apartment. Even though they didn't have to see the place their physical bodies were while they were training, they enjoyed coming back to the physical world with the musty smell of the trees and dirt. Naruto had noticed that his senses had been improving just slightly. He could hear and see better, but it was still no where near Kane's super senses.

"**Naruto, let's take a break."** Said Kyuubi, jumping away from a punch that Naruto had sent his way. Naruto relaxed his shoulder muscles and nodded.

They both pulled out of the mindscape. Naruto stretched his legs, which were sore from sitting in the same position for hours. Kane jumped up and yawned, stretching his arms upward. "Nice job today, Naruto. I might have to start putting some effort into out sparring matches!" Kane teased.

Naruto threw a stick at him, grinning. "Bite me! You're thousands of years ahead of me in experience! Compared to you, I would look pretty stupid."

Kane grinned. "Oh, it's not just compared to me." He laughed as he dodged another stick. Dusting himself off, he looked at Naruto again. "But you are certainly improving, kit. I think we should start training out here now."

Naruto looked up, delight written on his face. "You really think so?"

Kane nodded. "But for now, let's get some lunch. I'm in the mood for beef ramen, what about you?"

Naruto thought for a minute. "I want to try something different. Maybe the seaweed ramen I've heard a few people talking about."

Kane made a face, looking amused. "You won't catch me eating plants, but hey, it's your funeral."

"Race you!" The two took off in the direction of the village, unaware that they were being watched by a girl with dark brown hair that went to her waist. Asami had been watching the two of them for some time. She wondered what kind of training they did together. Junko had told Asami about the Kyuubi and Naruto training in his mindscape. It was rather intriguing, thought Asami, that such a powerful demon could act so friendly towards the person it was sealed in. _"I guess that's just Naruto-kun's way."_ She thought, smiling. He had gotten her to open up, so it only made sense that he would manage to befriend the demon fox. She felt a furry muzzle pressing against her leg and picked up Takeru, the little fox pup that Naruto had 'found' a few days after moving in with them. Aside from Naruto, Asami was the only person Takeru let hold him. She headed towards the village with the fox pup snuggled in her arms. She was in the mood for ramen herself…one of the side effects of hanging around Naruto and Kane.

"I'm treating today Kane, after all, you beat me in the race and I'm looking forward to training tomorrow!"

"Fine, fine…I guess there's no point in arguing with you…" Kane growled good-naturedly. They were sitting at the bar stools in the little ramen shop again.

"There are my two favorite boys!" Ayame said, smiling. "Your usuals, I'm guessing?"

Naruto grinned. "Actually, I'd like to try the seaweed ramen this time, Ayame-chan!"

Kane smiled. "I'm not going to go off my favorite. Say, where's Teuchi-san?"

Ayame smiled again as she prepared their food. "Otousan's taking a day off. I figured he deserved it. So how's everything with you two going? Starting the academy soon, aren't we?"

Naruto chuckled. "In about half a year! Kane and I want to get started on our training early, so we've been practicing at the training fields!"

Ayame giggled and placed Kane's bowl in front of him. "Well, you two are certainly excited about being ninja! Just promise you won't stop coming by for lunch sometimes!" She placed Naruto's bowl in front of him before going around the back to get more supplies.

"Hello Naruto-kun! Kane-kun! Can I join you?" Asami called, sticking her head in the ramen shop.

"Hey, Asami-chan! You're just in time!" Naruto exclaimed before turning his attention back to his noodles.

Kane nodded a greeting, his mouth full. He fished a piece of beef out of his bowl and tossed it at Takeru, who was waiting outside the shop to snap it up.

Asami placed her order as Ayame came back before turning to Naruto. "So how's the training going? Any progress?"

Naruto nodded. "Kane and I are going to start…_physical_…training tomorrow!" he replied, dropping his voice so Ayame didn't hear.

Asami smiled. "That's great! Do you think…maybe I could join you? At least for a little while?"

Kane swallowed his noodles and drained the bowl before turning to Asami, who had started on her soy sauce ramen. "Maybe, but just for a short while. I have to warn you, a lot of the things we are going to be working on will take huge amounts of strength and chakra. By the end of this month I will be making Naruto do laps around the village every day."

Asami's eyes widened, but she didn't ask any questions. How could she, really? She didn't even really get what chakra was yet. Naruto finished his bowl and pondered the taste. "Kane, you really should try the seaweed. It's actually a pretty interesting flavor." He tossed a piece of seaweed at Takeru, who gave him a disgusted look before burying it in the dirt.

Later that day, Kane, Naruto, Asami, and Takeru were walking around the village looking for something to do. Asami realized that she had chores to do and ran off, leaving the trio to wander without her. Eventually they came to a playground not far from the academy where a bunch of kids about Naruto's age were playing. Naruto and Kane went to sit under a tree with Takeru perched on Naruto's shoulder. Most of the other children were goofing off. A boy with red triangles on his cheeks was trying to convince another boy with a ponytail on top of his head to get up from the ground, where he apparently had landed after going down the slide. A girl with short pink hair done up in a ribbon was picking flowers with a fair haired girl while another girl with short black hair and pale eyes watched from a distance.

"That girl over there," said Naruto, pointing at the dark haired girl who was watching the other two girls pick flowers. "She reminds me of Asami before she and I became friends." Kane looked over there and grunted an agreement, more interested in watching the boys goofing off by the slide. The boy with the triangles on his face had noticed Takeru and was coming over.

"Cool! You have a fox! What's his name?" The boy exclaimed.

Naruto grinned. "His name's Takeru. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and this is Kane!"

The other boy grinned back. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba, and that lazy bum over there is Nara Shikamaru. There was another boy around here somewhere, but I think he went home already." Kiba extended his hand to Takeru, who sniffed it before allowing Kiba to pat his head. "My family works with dogs," Kiba continued, still petting the little fox. "So I'm going to get a puppy to train as a ninja hound when I'm ten! How'd you get Takeru?"

Naruto smiled. "I found him one day, and he followed me home. I've had him for about five months."

Kane was now studying Kiba's face. "Hey, Kiba…do you know those girls over there?"

Kiba looked over to where Kane was pointing. "Um…well, the girl with blond hair is Yamanaka Ino. Her family runs the flower shop down the street. And her friend is…um…Sakura! Yeah, her name is Sakura."

Kane nodded. "What about the girl with black hair?"

Kiba looked at Kane, a rather bored look on his face. "That's Hyuuga Hinata. Her family's totally rich. Why do you want to know this stuff, anyway? They're just girls."

Kane shrugged. "Just curious."

Naruto smiled at Kiba. "Are you going into the academy this year?"

Kiba puffed up his chest. "You bet! I'm gonna blow everyone away!"

Naruto grinned. "Cool! We'll be classmates!"

Shikamaru came up to Kiba, and after exchanging greetings with Naruto and Kane, turned to Kiba. "Come on, we'd better go…our parents are probably waiting for us." The two headed out of the park. Not long afterwards Sakura and Ino also left. Hinata was picked up by a member of the Hyuuga's side branch almost immediately following the other girls' departure. Naruto, Kane, and Takeru just sat under the tree for a while until it started getting dark. Kane finally got up and headed back to his apartment. Naruto and Takeru headed for Junko's house. Naruto was excited about starting his physical training the next day and wasn't watching where he was going until he bumped into someone in the street. He fell to the ground and stared up into the face of a shinobi. He was clearly drunk, his face screwed up into an angry scowl as he tottered on his feet.

"Why, you - ay! I know you…*hic* You're that Demon-kid! Haw! This-is my lucky day!" The drunken ninja let out a cackle and rushed Naruto. "You're dead now!"

***

**A/N**: Whee! Another cliffhanger! I guess you'll just have to cool your paws for a while until I post the next chapter.

The reason, in case anybody is wondering, Kiba said, 'They're just girls,' is because everyone is still at the age where most people of the opposite gender have 'cooties'. : )

Enjoy, reviews will help prevent any hangovers the drunken ninja will have tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10 Kill or be Killed

***

I don't own Naruto, but I do own the dog that is licking my hand. I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!

***

"Why, you - ay! I know you…*hic* You're that Demon-kid! Haw! This-is my lucky day!" The drunken ninja let out a cackle and rushed Naruto. "You're dead now!"

Naruto acted before he could think. He leaped lightly aside, using chakra to stick to the side of the building.

"Where'd you go…ah-ah! There ya are! You're dead meat kiddo!!" The ninja pulled out several kunai and hurled them at Naruto, who dodged. Unfortunately, dodging the weapons made him lose control of his chakra and he fell from the side of the building, landing on his rear.

"Hey! Leave me alone, you jerk!" Naruto exclaimed, an indignant look on his face. Meanwhile Takeru jumped at the ninja and clamped his jaws closed on the shinobi's hand.

"Wha-aaargh! Call 'im off!" The ninja pulled Takeru off of his hand and flung him into the side of a building. "So…getting you're fox friends to 'elp, are you? I was gonna kill you quick…but you need to suffer, you de*hic*mon!" The shinobi made several hand signs. It amazed Naruto that someone so horribly intoxicated could still make discernible hand signs. The shinobi took in a breath and cried: **"Dokugiri!"** as the ninja expelled his breath, an enormous cloud of poisonous gas erupted from his mouth. Naruto's eyes widened as he gagged on the horrid stench. He tried to make his way out of the toxic cloud, but his eyes were watering so badly that he could not make out which direction the street went. His antagonist was standing back with a smirk on his face, content to watch the kid stagger blindly. Naruto's steps became erratic as he breathed in more of the poison, until he staggered and fell to the ground, staring at the shinobi's feet. He could feel himself losing consciousness when Takeru approached him, the poison completely unaffecting him. _Kit…you need my help. I'll get you out of this mess, if you want me to._ Naruto could only manage to nod. In an instant he lost control of his body. It was like watching a battle from the eyes of the fighters. He stood up, his back straight, his eyes washing over with red. The whisker-like lines on his face became more defined and his teeth and fingernails grew long and sharp. Takeru went limp in the same instant and fell over.

Naruto's face grinned, but it was all Kyuubi behind the act. **"All right, buddy. I hope you've enjoyed your life, because you won't get a chance to after this."**

"Wha-hahaha! It's too late, kiddo! Youse is-!!" Naruto's body rushed forward and spun through the air to deliver several strong punches. His claws gouged into the man's skin. Naruto was amazed to see these moves. It was a technique he had never laid eyes on before. It was something between a fox's method of fighting and a fast-paced break dance. The Shinobi was no novice, however. Drunk as he was, his battle-hardened experience took over and he went on the defensive. Kyuubi aimed a jab at the man's throat, striving to crush the windpipe. The ninja brought his arm up, blocking the strike and at the same time swung his other arm down to punch the boy in the stomach. There was only one problem with this. Though Naruto's body was young and considerably weaker than the fully-trained Shinobi, Kyuubi had the experience of millennia of fighting in his roster. He grabbed the man's fist and used the momentum of it rushing towards him to leap backwards and throw the ninja down the alley, using some of the demon chakra available to him through the seal to add strength to his arms. The man flew ten feet before he landed and skidded to a halt, looking angry.

"You're not gonna win th-that easily, kiddo!" The Shinobi pulled a reel of ninja wire with a kunai attached to one end and flung it at Naruto, who easily dodged it. The knife became lodged in a wall to Naruto's right. Then came another wire-wrapped kunai. This one embedded itself to Naruto's left. Naruto's eyes widened. Kyuubi knew he had been trapped, but it was too late now. The man had a second kunai attached to each length of wire, and threw them crosswise down the alley. As they flew apart, the wire was pulled with it and pinned Naruto to the side of the wall. Kyuubi sighed. It would be tough to get out of this with brute force, since this human body was not conditioned. There was only one option left. Kyuubi gathered up chakra from the reserves in the seal and unleashed it in a small but powerful pulse. It was too small to attract attention but it did disintegrate the wire. As an added bonus, the pulse of demon chakra caused the drunkard to stumble back, leaving himself wide open. Kyuubi grinned and leaped.

Naruto's body had grabbed the man's neck, his fist making contact with the always-sensitive nose. As the Shinobi tried to block the pain of his broken nose, Naruto's claws continued to slice the man's skin. Now that they were in close contact, Kyuubi's previous fighting style was replaced with brusque force. The drunk was no longer boasting. He was trembling and crying in terror and pain as Naruto's fangs sank into his neck. He took out a kunai and slashed at Naruto's leg, but his efforts were futile. There was a horrible spattering of blood before Naruto's body released the man. The shinobi's struggled for life quickly ended, blood spurting from the gash in his neck. His body jerked in terrible spasms before the light faded from his eyes. Naruto felt himself regain control of his body and fell forward as Takeru woke up and approached him. _Kit…we need to get you to a doctor, __**now**__. The poison has spread too far into your system for me to heal you. Kit?_ Naruto was trembling, and not all of it was because of the poison. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked at the man who had been alive less than five minutes ago. "I'm…I just…he…I **killed** him…I've…" Naruto felt his body go numb and he laid his head on the cold ground, willing sleep to come.

Kakashi sat outside the operating room with the Hokage and Naruto's young friend, Kane. Kane had been the one to tell them that Naruto had been attacked. Much to Kakashi's and several of the doctor's distaste, Naruto's fox pup was also in the room, curled up on Kane's lap, apparently asleep. Asami was escorted in by a young nurse, looking anxious but sleepy. "I heard what happened…is Naruto-kun going to be alright?" Kane shrugged, but looked worried all the same. The Sandaime puffed on his pipe, looking sad. "I was afraid something like this would happen one day…some people just don't get it."

"Hokage-sama? What are we to do with Naruto, should he pull through? There was a man in the alley that Naruto was found in, and by the looks of it, he was murdered. Extremely brutally, I might add. His throat had a huge gash in it, and there were numerous claw marks over the rest of his body. Naruto's fingernails and face had dried blood on them. It's quite obvious that Naruto is the killer." Kakashi said sternly, ignoring the fact that Asami and Kane, both who were *supposed to be* five years of age, were in the room and could hear everything he said. Asami gasped, while Kane had no reaction to the startling news. He, after all, had in a way 'been there', in the form of his less noticeable fox half.

The light in the sign above the door came off as Junko came out of the operating room, relief plastered on her face. "I've drawn out the poison and administered the antidote to be on the safe side. I also closed up the cut on his leg. I think it's safe to say that he will make a full recovery."

Asami and Sarutobi looked relieved. Takeru looked up and gave a small yip, earning a disgusted look from one of the nurses. The Hokage turned to Kakashi and muttered in an undertone. "Once we talk to Naruto we will decide on a proper course of action. Do not do anything rash, Kakashi."

Meanwhile Asami had pulled Kane around the corner. "Okay, 'Kane'. Why did you kill that man?" she hissed, looking furious. "You could have gotten Naruto-kun out of trouble without drawing attention to him! I should tell the Hokage about you being…" she trailed off as a nurse passed them, only to resume her tirade. "The _Kyuubi!_"

Kane looked indifferent. "Big deal. He already knows. And if you'll _excuse_ me…" he nudged her aside and walked back to where Junko was. "I need to check on Naruto." Kane walked into the room where Naruto was, ignoring Junko calling after him to let him rest. He walked over to the bed and stood over Naruto, observing his eyes flicker back and forth underneath his eyelids. Kane watched him for a minute and poked his forehead.

Naruto's eyes fluttered open and he managed a groggy smile. "Don't poke me…" he waved Kane's hand aside and stared at the ceiling, the smile fading from his face. "Kane…back there…I **killed** him."

Kane put a finger to Naruto's lips, frowning. "No, kit. You did not kill that man…I did, acting from your body."

Naruto removed Kane's hand and sat up, a depressed look shadowing his face. "But I was watching…from my eyes…and my body…it was like I was the one who killed him…I can taste his blood…and, i-I can see the light fading from his eyes. I feel my claws cutting him…!" Kane lifted Naruto's chin until they were looking each other in the eye.

"Naruto…this is life. Life is delicate, and when people decide to determine the fate of other's lives…this is what happens. The life of a ninja is the same way. You **must** end other's lives, before they have a chance to snuff out yours. That man decided to tempt fate…and he lost. The story is written in the dust where your blood and his blood mixed."

Naruto pulled away from Kane. "He just…died. Just like that." Naruto snapped his fingers. "If life is so precious…than why is it so easy to end? I had a harder time with the chakra control exercises than I did gashing his neck like that…Kane…why? Why is life so fragile?" Naruto's voice rose in desperation before cracking and falling silent. "It was so easy to kill him…he was...I was a monster…the villagers were right about me…"

Kane sighed and sat at the edge of Naruto's bed. "I can't answer as to why life is so delicate, Naruto. But you need to know one thing." He stared into Naruto's eyes, looking firm. "As long as you feel regret for each life you take, you will never be a monster. As long as you recognize each life as something precious, your heart will remain pure. The life of a shinobi is full of death, and in a life-or-death situation, someone is going to die. That's a fact."

Naruto stared at Kane, his wide almost-innocent eyes fading into a frown. "Kane?"

"Mm?"

"What about you?"

Kane's head jerked at the question, a small smile gracing his face. "Yes, kit. Me. I am a monster…but only to humans. They consider anything that kills them monsters. And…since I was not a human, I did not feel regret when I killed them. However…in the time I have spent with you, I have felt…almost a tiny twinge of remorse? You have the ability to make people change, Naruto-kun. Actually, I should say you have the ability to make demons change."

Kane stood up and walked to the other side of the room, leaving Naruto to ponder everything he had said. As he stared outside at the clear moonlit night, one single thought was twisting and turning in Kane's head, over and over: _"What was I like in the Demon Realm?"_ He would never tell anyone, but he couldn't remember anything about himself before he had been summoned to the human world. All he recalled was feeling an uncontrolled desire to kill anything and everything in his path. _"Maybe this isn't just Naruto's work…but I don't know __**what's**__ real about me anymore…if only I could remember!"_

Asami pulled away from the door that she had pressed her ear to. She couldn't believe that the Kyuubi, whom she had heard so many terrible tales about concerning his brutality and bloodlust, could be so kind and understanding. Maybe there was more to the demon fox than everyone was willing to believe. She backed up against a wall and slid down it until she was sitting on the floor. Takeru got up and curled in her lap, and she stroked his fur absentmindedly. _"Maybe,"_ she thought. _"Maybe, the fox had more of a reason for attacking our home than people say. Everyone says that he was a demon, and that was all the reason he needed. I wonder if that's true or not."_ Asami got up, holding Takeru with both hands, and approached Kakashi. "ANBU-sama?" Kakashi looked up into her hazel eyes. "Why do you hate the Kyuubi so much? Do you even know why he attacked the village?" Takeru visibly perked up at that, clinging to every word.

Kakashi's eyes widened behind his ANBU mask. He never heard a child ask a question like that. "Asami-chan, I can't tell you the Fox's reason for attacking. And I don't think you are old enough to be told the full extent of the attack. But, because of the Kyuubi, I lost people who were precious to me." He lowered his head in thought. _"Like you, Minato-sensei." _He looked back up to see Asami sitting on the bench next to him, apparently done with her questions. She had spurred curiosity in the silver haired man. _"Why HAD the Kyuubi attacked when he did? Everyone says he was evil, but nobody can say why he was so evil. Surely even demons need a reason for attacking a village out of the blue like that…"_ Kakashi got up and told the Hokage he was going home to rest before disappearing in a plume of smoke. The little girl's questioned had stirred his curiosity, and he was not going to let the matter lie until he got an answer.

Naruto had finally fallen asleep. Kane sat down on the chair next to the hospital bed and looked at the clock. The round face showed it was about twenty minutes past midnight. Kane entered the mindscape and was surprised to see Naruto there, sitting cross-legged with his head down. **"What are you doing here, kit? You should let your mind rest."**

Naruto looked up. "Kyuubi-sama…I am glad you saved my life. I want to learn how to stop somebody like that without killing them." He looked down again. "I don't…ever…want to see the light in a person's eyes fade…again."

Kyuubi sighed. **"Kit, the life of a shinobi is full of death, as I told you earlier. People will die whether it's because of your mission, their mission, or the work of someone behind the shadows. I cannot guarantee that you will never see death. But, if it is your wish, I will teach you how to fight the way I did in that street. The art of the Kitsune-Kari depends on agility and flexibility more than strength. By closing in on your enemy quickly, you can focus on dealing a strike to their pressure points, rendering their arms or legs useless and knocking them unconscious. You use the speed left over from your dash to apply more force to your enemy before quickly retreating."**

Naruto looked up again. "I won't have to kill them like you did, will I?" He thought back to the horrible squelch of blood springing up through the broken skin and flowing into his mouth. He remembered the acrid iron tang of the shinobi's life source and shuddered.

"**No, kit. I have to admit I went a little overboard. I will not make you kill unless it is absolutely necessary."**

Naruto looked relieved. Kyuubi couldn't help feeling a surge of pity for the child before him. The first time a human made a kill was always hard for them. It gave some a power complex, and others went insane with the thought that they killed another human, a being that was 'equal' to them. Even though Naruto hadn't literally killed, he had seen and felt everything the killer had felt. It probably did the same harm to his mind as actually **being** the killer.

"**Kit, you need to rest. We are starting your physical training tomorrow, whether these doctors like it or not. We should also start working on your stealth. People can hear you coming from a mile away."**

Naruto gave a small smile. "Maybe you can, fox breath."

"**Don't compliment me when I'm insulting you!"** the fox snapped, chuckling.

In the hospital room, an ANBU with a weasel mask was watching the two boys who were seemingly asleep. _"So this is the Kyuubi child. And his red-haired friend must be the fox."_ He thought to himself. _"I wonder what they are doing right now…"_

***

**A/N**: This is what happens when I try typing while listening to a Death Note soundtrack…heheh…I get all emo just thinking about it.

A cookie goes to whoever guesses is in the weasel mask.

Also, I seem to have inspired some fanart! *faints* If anyone wants to draw a fanart of my story, I would love to see it. I'm going to post the link to the character bios on my Deviantart sometime soon; you can find the link by going to my profile. It should be right across the top of the page. 

**Kitsune-Kari:** Fox Hunt. A form of fighting used by fox demons; uses agility and flexibility more than strength to deal several blows to vital areas in a short period of time. Many of the moves were inspired by watching break-dance videos… XD


	11. Chapter 11 First Day at the Academy

I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY! I know this is waaay overdue. And I don't really like this chapter, to be honest…um. But there is a silver lining! I finally got around to posting Asami's character profile on my Deviantart account, so you can see how I imagined her to look. I was going to submit Kane's pic, too, but it's not scanned… X(

Anyway, enjoy. : )

Here's the URL to my Deviantart page (take out the spaces!): Mendia Llian. Deviantart. com

***

I don't own Naruto, but I do own the cat sitting on my desk right now. I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!

***

"Unhh…what time is it?"

"**Too late, kit. But I decided to let you sleep a little longer."** Naruto crawled out of bed, ignoring the protests coming from various muscles, and slipped on the clothes he had been wearing the day before. Today was the day he began physical training. He opened the door of his hospital room and looked around. The secretary was at her desk talking to a doctor about something that was apparently important. The doctor kept checking his files and nodding. Naruto closed the door and sat on his bed. "How do you want me to sneak out? That person behind the desk will see me."

He thought he heard Kyuubi give an exasperated sigh inside the mindscape. **"Climb out the window. You're on the first floor, so just jump."**

Naruto slid opened the window and was greeted with a blast of cool air. He swung his leg over the sill and winced; he could still feel the cut where the shinobi had pulled a kunai on him. He brought his other leg over the window and fell the couple of feet to the ground. Naruto brushed his pants off and ran down the street at a brisk pace. People were either glaring or simply ignoring him; apparently they didn't know anything about what happened the night before. If they had gotten wind of what had happened and who had done it, Naruto would be avoiding stones left and right—not that he didn't have to do that sometimes anyway—. Naruto got out of the more populated area of the village and slowed to a brisk trot. He wasn't used to running long distances yet.

"And where do you think you're going, Naruto?" Naruto tripped and fell into the dust. He got up and turned around to face the Sandaime Hokage, his hat off and a pipe held in his hand. "You can go in a minute, Naruto. Right now I want to ask you some questions about last night."

Naruto sat down on the stone bench a little ways off. "What do you want to know, old man?"

Sarutobi blinked at the nickname, but dismissed it. "Tell me exactly what took place last night. It might be a little painful, but I need to know everything."

Naruto looked down. "I was going home. It was getting kind of dark, and I didn't see that man until I ran into him. He was really drunk and he tried to attack me. My fox, Takeru, bit him and he got really angry and used a poison jutsu. Then I-" he paused, wondering how much he should say. "I don't remember what happened after that. I lost control of my body, and then- nothing."

The Hokage sighed. "Very well. Thank you for sharing this with me. I do have another question though." He puffed on his pipe. "Do you remember who killed that man? Was it you or was it the Kyuubi?"

Naruto looked him straight in the eye. "I said I don't remember. If you want to know anything else you'll have to ask the Kyuubi; he's the only other creature that was there that night." He got up and walked away before the Hokage could ask him anything else.

Naruto and Kane stood in the training zone and were joined shortly afterward by Asami and Takeru. Asami wanted Naruto to take it easy but was quickly reassured that he was alright. "All right, then." Said Kane, addressing Naruto and Asami. "The first thing I want you to do is warm-ups. From there we will run one lap around the village before doing some sparring in this training ground."

Asami gulped, looking intimidated. Naruto looked excited. Takeru was already asleep in the shadows, apparently uninterested in the whole ordeal. After they did some stretches they ran. Naruto and Asami never realized how big the village was. Before they were one-fifth of the way around they were gasping for breath. Kane trotted gracefully past them with a smirk on his face. When they were finished with their lap around the village Naruto and Asami took ten minutes to get their breath back before starting the sparring. Naruto and Kane fought first, jumping around each other. Asami watched with wonder in her eyes. _"It's like they're dancing…"_ after a while Kane had Naruto in a headlock and they broke apart, panting. Both had bruises, but Naruto carried the majority of them. Then Asami and Kane went, Kane walking her through some basic fighting maneuvers. Their session took a lot less time, as Asami had no experience with fighting. Finally she called for them to stop and leaned against a tree to catch her breath.

They did the same thing every day for a month, increasing the amount of laps around the village every week until they were doing four every day. Kyuubi did not cut them any slack when it came to their training. The sparring matches got longer little by little, sometime Kane against both of them, sometimes Asami against Naruto, sometimes Kane against one and then the other in quick succession. Always Kane came out on top, but who was expecting any less? The two children slowly started to get better, their stamina and strength increasing with every lap around the village and every sparring session. After a couple of months Asami stopped training with them and trained on her own, since they were starting to work with the Kitsune-Kari and some basic jutsu. They would take a break for lunch, which was usually ramen since it was not too far to the ramen shop and their food was ready quick. Right after lunch they went back to the training fields for the rest of the day. In the time it took for Naruto's academy years to start, he had learned the most basic form of Kitsune-Kari, the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, the Kawarimi no Jutsu, the Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu, and the Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. When Naruto asked why they were learning a bunch of Bunshin techniques, Kane replied:

"These jutsus split your chakra evenly amongst the copies. It helps you to increase your chakra reserves. Now shut up and practice!" Kane had gone from being the gentle trainer to the 'slave-driver' and was enjoying every minute of it. But it helped Naruto, and by the time he was ready to enter the academy, he would have been considered years ahead of the rest of his class. However, he remembered what Kyuubi told him about hidden potential and started his first day wearing a bright orange t-shirt with the bright red kanji for 'flame' on the front.

Junko held Naruto's hand as they approached the academy grounds. The place was filled with parents and students. Naruto could recognize a few of them, the Inuzuka boy he had met at the park, the Nara boy, those two girls that had been picking flowers, and the Hyuuga who had been hiding behind a tree. Then there was-"Hey! Kane!"

Kane came up to Naruto. "Hello, Naruto. Ready to start the academy?"

Naruto grinned, and Takeru, on his shoulder, jumped down and started to sniff around people's feet. "You bet! Hey...Kane?" He added in an undertone. "How exactly did you register for the academy?"

Kane shifted a bit. "I'd rather not say. It was a complicated process, even with the Hokage understanding the special circumstances."

Naruto looked around the area. "Hey, look. There's that Uchiha kid we saw that one time."

Kane looked where Naruto was pointing and saw Sasuke standing there with who appeared to be his father. "Yeah, that's him. He doesn't look very happy."

"I wonder why?" Naruto crossed the crowd of people with Takeru, who was on his shoulder again. "Hi, Sasuke! Long time, no see!"

Sasuke blinked in surprise. Then recognition dawned on his face. "Oh, Naruto-kun! Hi! Yeah, it's been a while-I didn't know you had a fox. That's cool!" he stroked Takeru's face. Just then a sensei with his hair up in a ponytail and a scar going across his nose called the kids inside. Naruto waved at Junko, who was calling after him to have a good time. He could see Asami waving too, and he grinned and made his way inside.

"Welcome, students, to your first year at the Ninja academy!" called out the sensei as the kids took a seat. Naruto and Kane took a seat in the back row, where Takeru slid off Naruto's shoulder and curled up on the desk. "I am one of the sensei who will be teaching you. My name is Umino Iruka. Why don't we start off today with a roll call? Raise your hand and say 'here' if you're here!"

"Akimichi Chouji!"

"Here!" called out a chubby boy holding a bag of chips.

"Aburame Shino!"

A boy with sunglasses slowly raised his hand. "I'm here."

"Inuzuka Kiba!"

"Here!" called the boy with the red triangles on his cheeks.

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

"Here!" called the Uchiha, looking excited.

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

"I'M HERE!" Naruto yelled, waving his hand. Next to him, Kane clapped his hands to his ears and snarled. Takeru yipped and jumped off the desk.

"I can see that! Okay, Naruto, you can sit down now." Iruka chuckled and gave him a slightly strange look before resuming the roll call.

"Nara Shikamaru!"

"…"

"Um…Nara Shikamaru?"

"Zzzzzzz…."

"NARA SHIKAMARU!"

"Hunh…? Oh…here."

"*sigh*Haruno Sakura!"

The girl with pink hair timidly raised her hand. "Here."

"Hyuuga Hinata!"

"Uh…h-here." Stammered the Hyuuga, looking unsure of herself.

"Yamanaka Ino!"

The blond girl sitting next to Sakura raised her hand and gave a sweet smile. "Here!"

Iruka looked back down at the clipboard and frowned. "Um…Kane."

Kane raised his hand. "Here."

Iruka looked at him. "Kane, what's your last name? It doesn't say on the paper."

Kane shrugged. "I dunno."

Iruka frowned but dismissed the anomaly. As he continued calling out names, Kane turned to Naruto and hissed, "Don't yell so loud! You're going to make my ears bleed!"

Naruto looked sheepish. "Sorry. I got a little too into character."

Kane sniffed and turned back to the front, where Iruka was addressing the class about something. Naruto stopped paying attention and studied his classmates. The Sakura girl, she seemed a bit like Asami. Then her friend, Ino, seemed a bit more like Junko: outgoing and friendly. Looking around, he saw that Shikamaru was leaning on his hand, apparently half-asleep even though he hadn't been in class for fifteen minutes. The boy next to him, Chouji, was stuffing a potato chip in his face. Shino was paying attention to what the teacher was saying about the material they would be covering that year, and next to him, Kiba was doodling pictures on a scroll while listening slightly absently to Iruka. Sasuke was paying attention to the talk with a slightly bored look, as if he already knew some of the material that was going to be covered in the future. Hinata was also paying attention, giving an occasional glance at other people around the room. Naruto leaned his chin on his hand, his attention going in and out on what Iruka was saying. "Form…parents…" He perked up as Iruka passed a couple of papers around the room. He folded them up and stuffed them into his pocket with out looking at them. When lunch rolled around, Naruto and Kane got up and followed the rest of the class outside. Naruto paused at the door and noticed that Shikamaru was still at his desk, snoring. He shrugged and went outside.

As they stepped outside, Kiba approached them again. "Hey, Naruto! Geez, you sure were loud today when Iruka-sensei called your name."

Naruto closed his eyes with a small frown. "If you're here to scold me about that, don't. Kane already took care of that."

Kiba blinked and laughed. "Heh! He sure knows how to control you! Hey, didn't you bring your fox with you?"

Takeru strolled out of the bushes where he had been sniffing around. Kiba saw him and grinned. "Hey there, Takeru! When I get my dog, you're going to have a friend to play with during school!" Takeru gave him a withering look, but Kiba didn't see it. By now everyone else had seen Takeru and was approaching him.

"Oh, what a cute fox!"

"He's so adorable!"

"Look at that bushy tail!"

"Can I hold him?"

As one of the students bent down to pick him up, Takeru snarled and snapped at the boy's hand, just missing his fingers. He jumped onto Naruto's shoulder, growling at everybody.

Naruto looked sheepish. "Sorry, guys. He doesn't like anybody to hold him except me, Kane, and my imoutosan. But you can pet his head!"

The kids hesitated before coming forward to stroke the fox pup's fur. Ino brought Sakura up to touch him.

"Come on, Sakura-chan! Feel how soft he is!"

Sakura hesitated before reaching out and running her hand down Takeru's snout. Her eyes lit up. "He really is soft!" She and Ino broke away from the crowd, giggling. After a while the kids went away and Naruto and Kane sat down to eat their lunch. Takeru jumped down and slinked back into the bushes.

After lunch, Naruto found it a little easier to concentrate on their sensei. He looked around the room again. Shikamaru hadn't moved since that morning. What a lazy bum.

After school, Kane and Naruto did their training like always. Kane was beginning to teach Naruto a more complicated form of Kitsune-Kari, and refused to teach Naruto more complicated ninjutsus that went with the art until he mastered the taijutsu part of it.

Meanwhile Asami watched them beneath the shadow of a large tree. She loved watching their sparring matches, it seemed more like a wild dance than a fight; yet it could be so deadly. Naruto could already pinpoint most of the pressure points in the body and hit them with enough force to leave a person numb one day and sore the next few. _"Naruto-kun…you've gotten so much stronger than when I first met you. And it's only been a year! I can only think about how strong you will be when you're a Ninja…"_

***

**A/N**: Ehem…I don't think any translations are needed in this chapter, but if you have a question, feel free to ask.

Why was this day like a normal school day where nothing really important for this story happens? Don't ask me. I figured Naruto doesn't always have to have something life changing going on.

I was wondering if I should change the other character's personalities a bit, since they couldn't have been the same their whole life, but I decided it would be too confusing for people.

Reviews will be used to keep Shikamaru awake for a few hours.


	12. Chapter 12 The Start of the Second Year

***

I don't own Naruto, but I do own the Leopard Gecko that bit my fingernail the other day…that's what happens when you paint your fingernails shiny.... I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!

***

**A/N:** I did a little time skip since nothing super special happens.

"Naruto-kun! Wake up! You overslept!" Asami yelled, pounding on her brother's bedroom door. She heard sounds of someone slipping through the window and messing up the bed like it had been slept in before footsteps approached and the door opened to reveal a wide-awake seven year old. Asami frowned. "You're supposed to take me to my first day at the academy today! And here you are sneaking out to train with Kane! By the way," she called in the direction of Naruto's window. "I know you're there, Kane. Come on out."

Kane jumped through the window, a black eye in the process of swelling up. "Sorry we're a little late, Asami-chan. Today's sparring session went a little too well."

Naruto gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah…sorry about that, Asami-chan. We've been working on the Kitsune Kari and I went a little overboard." He stepped out of his room and followed Asami down the hall to the kitchen, where Junko was preparing their lunches.

Junko paused to look at the clock as the three of them traipsed into the room. "You'll have to run if you want time to mingle with the other kids before school starts. I wish I could be there, Asami-chan. I'm so proud of you!" She gave Naruto and Asami a hug. "Unfortunately, I'm needed on an important mission. Naruto, you'll have to enjoy her opening ceremony for me."

Naruto grinned and grabbed their bentos before dashing out the door. Asami paused to give Junko one more hug before running after him. Kane started to follow them, but was captured by Junko, who gave him a hug as well. Kane stiffened and turned red. "Um…yeah. See you later." He sprinted out the door. Junko watched him and sighed. Kane never got used to the way humans displayed affection. It was rather amusing to watch.

As Naruto and Asami ran past the Uchiha compound, they were intercepted by Sasuke, who ran out at the same time. Naruto and the young Uchiha collided, falling to the ground in a heap.

Naruto coughed, inhaling a plume of dust. Sasuke jumped up and brushed off his pants. "Sorry! Are you all right?" He brushed off Naruto's sleeve and noticed it had a rip in it. "Sorry about that, Naruto. I wasn't watching where I was going. Did I…"

"Rip my sleeve? Nah, it's been like that forever. Don't sweat it! And it's kind of my fault, too. Are you all right, Sasuke?" Naruto grinned and chuckled while trying to spit dusty grit out of his mouth.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Sasuke noticed Asami. "Hi there. You must be Naruto's imoutosan. Asami, right?" he extended his hand. Asami turned red and took it without looking at Sasuke.

Naruto smiled at the exchange. "Asami is a little shy around people she doesn't know very well." Asami took her hand back and stared at the ground.

Sasuke looked around. "Hey…where's Kane? Isn't he usually following you guys everywhere?"

Kane appeared around the corner of the street and bolted past them, yelling a quick greeting as he breezed by. Naruto heard the academy bell ringing to tell kids to get ready to start the opening ceremony. "We have to run. Come on, Asami-chan!" Naruto and Asami took off, shortly followed by Sasuke.

As the kids milled around, Naruto's classmates greeted them and laughed at Kane's new black eye. Kane tried to ignore them and failed, finally whacking the ever-teasing Kiba in the head. Asami was meeting some kids who would be in her class, and senseis mingled with kids and parents.

Naruto's first day of his second academy year reminded him of the first day of his first year. His senseis talked, introduced people– which was quite pointless since everyone had the same classmates as last year— and handed out forms. One thing that was different was that they had a new sensei, who was student-teaching the class with Iruka. He had silvery hair that went to his shoulders and a skinny build. The minute Naruto saw Mizuki-sensei he could tell that they shared mutual hatred for one another. Mizuki sent cold glances Naruto's way and before the day was out Naruto had made Mizuki fall into an exploding paint trap that had been set up in the teacher's lounge. Kyuubi had Naruto pranking people regularly. He said it was a good way to practice stealth, sneaking around and trying not to get caught. He also said it would give Naruto more of the title of 'idiot'. Kyuubi also enjoyed watching Naruto humiliate other people. Naruto couldn't blame him. He got a kick out of bringing embarrassment to any shinobi he didn't like.

After Naruto picked Asami up from her class, he and Kane went to the seventh training zone to spar and work on jutsu. Naruto was beginning to move to nature manipulation. Right now he was stuck on trying to cut a leaf with his wind chakra. He kept going overboard and setting them on fire. After a while of burning helpless foliage and putting scorch marks in the ground he sat down to rest. Takeru slunk out of the bushes and settled himself in Naruto's lap. Kane was leaning against a log, napping.

_What's troubling you, Kit? I can tell you want to ask me something._ Takeru thought, nudging Naruto's hand.

Naruto looked at the horizon over the trees. "I'd rather talk in the mindscape, Takeru." The fox nodded in understanding. Naruto went into his meditative trance and appeared in the mindscape. A fox the size of a Great Dane greeted him. **"All right, kit. What's on your mind?"**

Naruto looked Kyuubi in the eyes. "Remember when we met almost two years ago? You said it was really possible that I could become a Hanyou, a half-demon."

"**Yes, I said it was more than a fifty percent chance since the seal is almost completely gone. We're almost completely merged. Why are you asking me this?"**

"Well, if I was to become a Hanyou, when would the change take place?"

Kyuubi pondered this for quite some time. **"I honestly don't know, kit. It might happen tomorrow, it might happen when you're twenty. I simply can't answer that."**

Naruto frowned. "At least guess, Kyuubi-sama! You've got to have _some_ idea of when it's most likely."

Kyuubi's eyes narrowed in concentration. **"Well, let me think…since human bodies go through the most intense changes when certain chemicals, called hormones, are produced, it seems that the most likely time for you to unlock your Hanyou form is when your body produces those chemicals. What do you humans call it?"** Kyuubi paused for a second before dismissing it with one of his tails. **"Anyway, the term is not important. Humans usually start producing those hormones around the age of ten or fourteen, I think. Still, this is not entirely affirmative, so you could get the form earlier or later than that as well."**

Naruto frowned. "Can I control when I change?"

"**I think so, with enough self-discipline and training. However, you might not be expecting the change when you get your Hanyou form the first time. You might not be able to control it at the beginning."**

Naruto pondered that for a moment. "I guess I'll have to be extra careful if I start feeling strange while I'm still at the Academy. People might panic if I go to my Hanyou form in class."

"**It might bring some excitement. The academy is boring! You should pull more pranks on the teachers. That paint bomb you used on Mizuki was fantastic!"** The fox chuckled. His smile faded as he looked down at Naruto. **"Now get back to your training! I want to see two halves of a leaf by the end of the day! Make Kage Bunshin do the training with you, if you want to."** Kyuubi ejected Naruto out of the mindscape, leaving him blinking in the early afternoon sunlight. Naruto picked himself up and approached a tree. He made twenty Kage Bunshin and they resumed the nature manipulation.

Eventually Naruto succeeded in slicing the leaf in half. By that time it was close to eleven at night -Kyuubi wasn't kidding when he said he wanted Naruto to be done by the end of the day; he wouldn't let Naruto go home- As Naruto dragged himself down the street, he didn't see the person walking there until it was too late. He collided with the boy and landed on the ground. His first thought was a memory of the last time he collided with someone. _"Oh, no, not __**this**__ again!"_ He braced himself for harsh words.

The teenager knelt down and held out his hand. "I'm sorry, forgive me. I wasn't watching where I was going."

Naruto was shocked when he heard that. No adult other than a select few ever directed kind words to him. He looked up, recognition dawning on his face. "Aren't you…Sasuke-kun's Ani?"

The fifteen year old smiled, but the lines under his eyes made him look too serious. "That's right. My name is Uchiha Itachi. And you are Uzumaki Naruto, are you not?"

Naruto smiled. "Yeah. Sorry I bumped into you, Itachi-san. I was really tired."

"Is that so?" Itachi pulled Naruto into a standing position. "Well then, let's take you home, Naruto-kun." They walked down the silent, dark streets together. Naruto could not explain it, but somehow the presence of Itachi made him feel safer; more comfortable. It was like he could feel that Itachi had no ill thoughts towards him. He didn't think of Naruto as a demon, as almost everyone else did. Yet…Itachi seemed so serious. The lines under his eyes made him look sad, somehow. Naruto couldn't help wondering what was going through his mind.

Itachi had heard people talking about the little blond boy. It astounded him at how many people, who couldn't possibly know anything about the child, could already have such a negative opinion on him. He had to admit that he didn't know much about the boy himself, even though he had been assigned to watch him along with Kakashi. Still, the boy made him feel…warm. Being a young prodigy, Itachi had never had the chance to simply 'be a kid'. He wanted to make sure his little brother had an easier life than he did.

He closed his eyes, holding his face up to the moon. He could remember the Kyuubi attack; he had been eight years old and he—being stupidly naïve in his opinion—had tried to go to the frontlines. His mother had to seek him out with the three-month old Sasuke in her arms and drag him away. The memory was a little fuzzy, but he could remember one thing clearly: In the Kyuubi's eyes, there had been _Sharingan_. From that moment on, all hate Itachi had for the Fox disappeared. It had not been the foxes' actions, but the puppet work of an Uchiha. His opinion of his family would be tarnished forever.

About two weeks later Naruto woke up late again. Kane had to punch him in the gut to make him get up. Asami had already left, so Naruto jumped out the window and took the opportunity to try out his sprinting. He rocketed around the corner with Kane following close behind. He focused chakra into his feet and exploded from the ground, flying one hundred feet before crash landing in a bush close to the academy. As Naruto picked himself out of the thorns Kane jogged up to him. "That was impressive Naruto-kun. I would not recommend using the chakra jump too often, though, as it attracts attention. Your speed has definitely improved, however."

Naruto gave a small laugh and winced as he pulled a thorn out of his side. "Thank you, Kane-sama." He entered the academy yard and ran to class, entering just as the bell rang.

Iruka looked up and shook his head. "That was close, Naruto. You need to try harder in getting here on time."

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Iruka-sensei! I was up late last night and slept past my alarm!"

Mizuki stood up at the desk. "That's no excuse, Naruto-kun. If you were that tired, you shouldn't have been up that late." His tone was carefully neutral, but Naruto could detect a small amount of coldness in his voice.

Naruto sat down in the back next to Kane, who had somehow gotten to class on time even though Naruto had gotten a head start. The class was pretty boring for the first half, so Naruto decided to take Kyuubi up on the suggestion to pull more pranks. After lunch, all the kids were waiting at their desks for their senseis to come in. Mizuki entered first, noticing a small capsule on the floor. Mizuki picked it up and looked at the class. "It is not a good idea to leave things on the ground where others can trip." He said with the smallest snide tone to his voice. Naruto plugged his ears and squeezed his eyes shut.

Then the capsule exploded.

It was a small explosion followed by a huge flash of light and a horrendous BOOM that rattled the windows and vibrated the floor up to the back row. Everyone was momentarily blinded while Naruto opened his eyes and ran to the front of the room, scrawling a rude message on the chalkboard. By the time everyone had their sight back, Mizuki was covered in soot and very red in the face. Everyone stared at the chalkboard and burst into laughter. Mizuki whipped around, grinding his teeth, staring wildly around the room as if looking at someone could tell him if they were the ones who did this. His eyes landed on Naruto

Naruto was sitting in his seat, back straight, staring down at Mizuki with an innocent look as if to say, "Who, me?"

Kane pulled his fingers out of his ears with a smile. He whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "That was a little overkill, Naruto. Excellent job."

Naruto's mouth quirked up at the corners. He was careful not to laugh since Mizuki was still staring at him. Iruka burst into the room with a concerned look on his face. "I heard an explosion! Is everything all right, Mizuki-san?"

Mizuki's eyes narrowed. "Why don't you ask the punk who decided to combine a flash bomb with a diversion explosive?" Mizuki stormed out of the room, attempting to scrub soot off of his face. Iruka looked at Naruto, who busied himself with rearranging the pencils on his desk.

After school, Iruka pulled Naruto aside. Kane shot him a look that said, 'I'll meet you at the training zone,' before leaving the room with Takeru on his shoulder.

Naruto gave a small frown at Kane's retreating form before averting his attention to his sensei. "What's wrong, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking exasperated. "Naruto…you need to stop pulling these pranks on people, especially Mizuki-sensei. He is still new, and you're making him feel humiliated in front of all his students."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Then tell him to stop punishing me for little things! He lets Chouji eat in class all the time, but when I had to skip breakfast and tried to eat it here he gave me detention!"

Iruka's eyebrows quirked. "He told me that you had refused to clean up after yourself and was being disrespectful when he asked you to."

Naruto snorted. "Yeah, because I didn't make a mess! I was going to throw away my wrapper during break since it was individual study time and I didn't want to disturb others, but he came over and started yelling at me for making a mess!"

"You…didn't want to disturb others??" Iruka repeated, looking dumbfounded and amused. "Who are you and what have you done with Naruto??" he joked.

Naruto took a few seconds to realize his teacher was joking. His frown faded and was replaced by a genuine smile. "Heehee…I don't look it, but I do take my studies seriously _some_ of the time!"

After Naruto had left, Iruka sighed and set about scrubbing the soot from the area where Naruto's prank had exploded. He had to admit, the boy did have a very clever streak. The idea of combining a flash bomb with a diversionary explosion was a good one…he would have to tell the Hokage about this. Naruto might have invented a useful ninja tool. However…he couldn't have Mizuki and Naruto constantly going for each other's throats. He couldn't help but wonder what had started the whole feud between them. Iruka gave a small chuckle that held no amusement. _"If anyone, I should be the person to harbor the hate…I just can't do it, though. I can't bring myself to hate anyone." _Iruka smiled to himself as he began sorting through papers.

**A/N:** Here we are! Next chapter! ^_^

I'm really, REALLY not proud with this chapter. It seems like too much of a filler chapter, but hey, I had to put student-teacher development in here some time or another.

Yes, I had to put a flash bang in there somewhere, although instead of the high-pitched sound the real one makes I thought the earlier ones would have had a loud BOOM. I think they're very useful and I'm planning on having it in here again.

Also, I feel the need to say something very important here. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT!!

*sigh* This story is going to be long. All of the fanfictions that I have thought of are going to be rather long, like actual novels almost. I have a very hard time concentrating on just one thing for a prolonged period of time, so here's what I've decided to do: I'm going to divide Entertwined Fates into three parts, the first being the Academy years, which despite taking place over about six years will be the shortest of the three. Then there are the Genin years, which take place in the original Naruto time period. And finally, the Shippuden years, which will probably be the longest. I will try to finish the Academy years before the end of this year, but anyone who's been keeping an eye on me since the beginning knows that I am a terrible slow worker. In between chapters of this, I want to work on other fanfictions too; that means I might start a new story while I'm still working on this one. ALSO!! Due to my growing intrest in new things, I have changed around the priority of some of my fanfiction ideas, so some people who have me on author alert may either find themselves pleasently surprised...or just ticked off. Can't please everyone, ya know. :)

Questions? Comments? Please call at: **REVIEWS **XD


	13. Chapter 13 Hanyou

Ummmmm…I hope you guys didn't think I was dead…school, coupled with terrible, horrible writer's block have left me sprawled in the dust as far as this story is concerned…

I'M SO SORRY PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEEEEEE!

Anyway, I'm hoping to get back to a somewhat acceptable schedule other than the whole 'update once every two years' thingie.

I don't own Naruto, but I do own the obsolete dinosaur called a 1997 Gateway-or rather, I used to own it when it wasn't obsolete and before my dad donated it... I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!

**A/N:** I did another time skip of about a year.

Naruto had never been a person to judge somebody right off the bat, not unless he had a really good reason. And the eight-year old had stood back and observed for a long time before he decided to judge, but when he did, he concluded this: Girls. Were. CRAZY.

"Sasuke-kun! Sit next to me!" called Sakura during lunch, waving over at him. Sasuke gave her an awkward look before making his way slowly over.

"No! Sasuke-kun, PLEASE sit next to me!" Ino squealed from a different table. Sasuke's head whipped back and forth, looking unsure of himself. Naruto didn't know why, he couldn't explain why, but over the summer Ino and Sakura, the best of friends, had gone from being best friends to practically hating each other's guts.

So, it was only natural that when Kiba and Naruto invited him to eat lunch with the rest of the guys Sasuke gladly accepted, leaving the two girls and the others at their tables sitting with disappointed looks.

"Hi guys!" Sasuke cheerfully said, sitting down. "Thanks for that. I don't get why all the girls want me to sit with them."

Naruto grinned mischievously. "Oh, _Sasuke-kun,_ it's because they are totally in love with you!"

The other boys laughed as Sasuke's face colored over. Kane had an incredibly bored look on his face that plainly shouted that he though this conversation was stupid.

"**Y'know, kit…"** Kyuubi called from the mindscape. **"That Sakura girl, she thinks you're an idiot."**

Naruto kept his smile, but he gritted his teeth. _"Well NO DUH. Most people think that because I act like that. And WHY is the great Kyuubi-no-Kitsune telling me this?"_

**"I bet she really likes you though. You should flirt with her sometime."**

Naruto spat out the water he had been sipping and doubled over choking, making a concerned Kiba whack his back. "Hey, Baka! Don't spew your drink, that's nasty!"

Naruto wheezed for a few seconds before giving him a scowl. "Thank you, captain _obvious._ I didn't do it on purpose!"

Sasuke gave a small grin, but it soon faded into a slightly worried expression. He hadn't touched his food. Naruto gave him a concerned look. "Hey, Sasuke-kun…what's the matter?" The two of them had become good friends over the past years, often spending time with each other after school when one or the other was not training with their family.

Sasuke gave a sigh and stabbed his fish with a chopstick. "It's my Ani…he's been getting really depressed, I think. He never has any time for me, less time than he had before. I get the feeling he doesn't like me."

Naruto could vaguely recall Sasuke saying the same thing the first time the two of them had met. He gave a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure Itachi loves you, Sasuke. But…isn't he in ANBU?" When Sasuke nodded, Naruto continued. "Then he's probably just tired all the time from his missions! I mean, ANBU are the best of the best! It's not like they get sent out to pick daisies!"

Sasuke looked a little happier, but Naruto couldn't help but feel concerned as well. Over the past year, he had been seeing less and less of the older Uchiha—not that he had seen much of him anyway—, and every time, those lines under his eyes made him look sadder and sadder. Maybe he should go talk to him the next time Itachi was home.

Later, in class, Naruto was having an even harder time concentrating. His stomach felt funny, but oddly enough it felt more like the seal on his stomach. Of course, that was utterly ridiculous! Maybe Junko, as distracted as ever, had forgotten to check the expiration date on the milk again. Kane, sitting next to him, had a slightly pained look on his face as if his stomach was bothering him as well. Well, if Naruto's stomach was upset because of bad milk, Kane's probably was too. He had mooched breakfast that morning because he had forgotten to restock his fridge. Naruto tried to ignore the growing pain he felt in his gut and concentrate on the lesson. He wanted to get this down, because Iruka and Mizuki were talking about different weapons and the pros and cons of each one. Naruto was good at fighting with his hands and feet, thanks to the training with Kane, but he knew being skilled with a weapon would further help him. Kyuubi agreed, but he refused, for one reason or another, to tell Naruto anything about them. His eyes narrowed as the feeling in his stomach went from strange to painful. _"No, don't you dare vomit!" _he told himself.

"…are good for long-range attacks but are weak in aiding defense, which is why—"

Wait…when did Iruka get there? Naruto had blanked out for a portion of the lecture. A whine caught his ear and he looked down. Takeru was curled tightly in on himself, breathing hard.

Kane's eyes widened and Naruto felt a painful stab in his stomach. At the same time, he could feel his chakra spike to an immense level. "Naruto!" Kane hissed. "We have to get you out of here. Now!"

Naruto looked up from Takeru and nodded before jumping up with a pained grunt, holding the fox. "Iruka-sensei! My fox looks sick! I need to take him home!"

Everybody looked at the little fox, who, getting the idea, whined louder. Iruka looked at Takeru, seeming to believe Naruto, and nodded. "Okay, you're excused." Mizuki scowled at Naruto and Takeru before pointedly ignoring them.

Kiba started to stand up as Naruto passed him, looking concerned. "My family works with dogs. Maybe I could help—"

Naruto brushed passed him, not worrying that he might have offended the Inuzuka. As he ran from the room he felt a larger, more painful spike in his chakra. He couldn't hold back a pained groan.

"Wait a second! Where do YOU think you're going, Kane?" Naruto heard Iruka snap. "You're staying here."

Kane allowed a pained whiny look to enter his face and clutched his stomach. "But Iruka sensei- my stomach hurts! I think I got food poisoning!" He ran out of the room before Iruka could reply, catching up with Naruto in the academy yard. "Run faster, Naruto! Deep into the trees, where nobody can see you!"

Naruto started to pump chakra into his legs, but Kane stopped him. "No! Don't use your chakra! It'll speed up the transformation!"

They finally reached a secluded, tiny clearing in the woods before Naruto dropped Takeru, who curled up in pain. Naruto's insides were on fire; his head was splitting in agony. Kane finally allowed himself to feel the pain as well, and fell to the ground. Naruto fell to his knees panting, the seal burning, his chakra spiraling out of control. "K-kane! Is this-? Am I-?"

Kane managed to answer through gritted teeth. "I think so…your Hanyou form is manifesting! But, oh, _Juubi_, I had no idea it would be this painful! It hurts!" he finished with a howl. Suddenly, both he and Takeru vanished in a swirl of red chakra.

Naruto was in too much pain to notice that his companions had disappeared. He curled up in a fetal position, alone in the tiny clearing. Tears were leaking out of his eyes as his chakra, his body, his very soul, burned. He tried to enter the mindscape but was unable to, and in it he could hear Kyuubi howling and shrieking in pain. A blast of chakra erupted around Naruto, and he finally let himself scream. He screamed long and loud as the chakra spun around him, burning his flesh, searing his bones. Halfway through the scream, it turned into a howling snarl as the pain shrank. He could feel his spine lengthening, his teeth cracking, his fingernails gouging the earth. He felt something happen with his face and eyes, but he couldn't pinpoint where the feeling was located. Then, as long and painful as the change had been, it was over. He let his head hang, staring at the ground, panting. His hands caught his eye. Where his fingernails had been, there where vicious looking claws. He realized that the clearing looked different as well, and sat up to look around. His hair was at least two inches longer, and fell across his face as he assessed the clearing more closely. It wasn't so much that the surrounding area had _changed_, but it looked a lot different to the boy. His silver eyes caught the light streaming through the trees and reflected it, causing his eyes to glow. He could make out every little detail of his surroundings, the individual leaves on the tree, the tiniest pattern on the farthest trees. He focused on one tree and observed a tiny line of soldier ants making their way down with the dead body of a grasshopper. It wasn't just his eyesight, either. He could _hear_ the ant's footsteps, the dragging sound the grasshopper's body made as it was carried to the ant's nest. He could _smell _the leaves, thick and lush. If he concentrated, he could smell the familiar scent of the academy's hallways, just a short ways away. He tried to stand up and lost his balance, something in the back weighing him down. He twisted around and his eyes fell on a rusty red colored tail, fading into a black tip, poking out from his pants. His hair hung from his face and he realized that it had changed color as well. He plucked a strand and looked at it. It was now bright red, almost like fresh blood, and it made Naruto shudder. As he did this his ears twitched, and he reached up to feel them. They weren't on the top of his head like he had expected, but instead they had grown larger and to the shape of a fox's. They also weren't furry like he had thought they might be.

Naruto crawled over to a puddle of water and looked at his face. He looked _feral,_ his sharp canine teeth jutting over his bottom lip and his slanted eyes hidden in shadows. He couldn't tell what color his eyes were. The three whisker-lines on each side of his face had become more defined and had conjoined at the ends, forming a triangle-like shape on each cheek. He stood up again and turned around a couple of times, maneuvering his tail.

"**You look like you are trying to chase your tail in slow-motion, Kit."**

Naruto jumped, and for the first time realized that he was alone in the clearing. _"Kyuubi! When did you vanish?" _He thought.

"**It would seem that whenever my physical bodies experience great pain, the chakra composing them can't maintain their shape, and I disappear."** Naruto heard Kyuubi chuckle weakly. **"Now, can you bring me back into the physical world?"**

Naruto concentrated chakra into the seal—it was almost as hard as the first time he tried it; his chakra felt so foreign!—and Takeru appeared with a subdued whimper. Naruto faltered; he had put a lot of effort into concentrating this chakra, and he could only procure enough to summon _Takeru?_ He dismissed the thought and tried to concentrate more chakra. This time it was _harder_ than the first time he tried it, but a after a few minutes Kane appeared in a swirl of reddish chakra. He winced and drew a deep breath before stepping forward to study Naruto's new appearance.

"Well, I have to say, Kit, that if I didn't know it was you, I would have thought some other demon was passing through." Said Kane in a slightly strained voice. His eyes met Naruto and widened, Kane's mouth dropping slightly.

Naruto, who was feeling very irritable at this time, growled. "What? Why are you staring?" his voice sounded more feral.

Kane stepped closer to Naruto's face to stare at his eyes. "I can feel incredibly different chakra flowing from you than normal. I can't pinpoint how it feels different, though."

"So?" Naruto growled again. "I'm a Hanyou. I would think that it would be common sense to have different chakra, don't you?"

Kane frowned at Naruto's rudeness but continued his thought. " _Yes, _Naruto-kun. I knew you would have different chakra. I meant that I could feel a different chakra _type_. As in, an element besides wind and fire. Don't ask me which, because I don't know." Kane looked at Naruto thoughtfully. "You know, Shuukaku, the Ichibi, can use multiple chakra types as well. The Bijuu, except for one or two, are limited to mastery over one elemental type only. As a matter of fact, most demons only have one chakra type." Kane looked at Naruto proudly. "To have a third chakra type is something special indeed. Jonins are required to master multiple elements, but they struggle because they only have one element-or in rare cases, two-they are compatible with. With your multiple chakras, you could easily become a Jonin."

Naruto nodded, his irritation evaporating at the prospect of gaining a third chakra element. "What is Shuukaku's second element? Kyuubi-sama." asked Naruto, adding the honorific at the last moment.

"Shuukaku can control wind. His second element is earth." Kane took a second look at Naruto's eyes. "Although…I wonder why your eyes are that color…?"

"What color?" Naruto was getting annoyed at having to ask Kane to explain everything.

Kane's scowl deepened as Naruto's tone of voice became more irritated, but answered anyway. "They are silver, but there is a gold ring on the inside, around the pupil."

"Really?" Naruto's anger disappeared again as he pondered this. He had thought his Hanyou eyes would be red because of Kyuubi, but he couldn't begin to explain the silver and gold.

Kane nodded. "Yes. It's very strange." A strange look was occupying his face, as if something was on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't remember what. He finally shook his head and looked back at Naruto.

"Hey, Kyuubi-sama." Naruto said, suddenly reminded of something Kane had said earlier. "When I was turning into a Hanyou, you yelled something about _Juubi._ What were you talking about? Ten-tails? Is there another Bijuu besides the nine you told me about?"

"What?" Kane asked, dumbfounded. "When did I say that? No, there's only the nine of us on the Tailed Council."

Naruto stared at Kane disbelievingly. "You…don't remember saying that?"

"No, not at all." Kane replied, looking totally sincere.

Naruto was intrigued. He'd never heard of the 'Tailed Council' before, and he was certain that he'd heard Kane say '_Juubi_' but he decided to let the matter lie. A grin spread across his face. "Hey, Kane…I don't think the academy is expecting us to be back today; do you want to run around the village with me? I want to see what this Hanyou form can do."

Kane grinned back. "Excellent. I could use the exercise. I'll give you a head start." He waited until Naruto had dashed off with Takeru before he let his smile fade. _"Juubi? When did I say that?"_ He thought to himself. _"There is no Juubi. I mean, I don't think there is…"_ Kane gripped his head as if doing so would jog his memory. _"Why can't I remember anything?"_ Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Kane leaped after Naruto, leaving his troubled memories in the clearing.

**A/N**: Yeah baby! Hanyou Naruto is HERE! (Dances)

I was really looking forward to this part of the story, but then when I got to it, I had a really hard time typing it…I hope it sounds believable. After this it really speeds up.

Translations? Only one for this chapter, others are in previous chapters!

Juubi- Ten-tails. What? What? There is no such thing! Absolutely absurd!

Anyway, like I said, I'm hoping to be more consistent in the future, so please don't be super angry.

***SPOILER***

For anyone who reads the manga, you might have heard of the Juubi already, or whatever they call it there, I don't remember. I swear Masashi Kishimoto was copying me, 'cause I had that idea way before I started this story! Except my Juubi has nothing to do with the other Bijuus 'merging' like some weird Power Rangers mecha-thing.


	14. Chapter 14 Blood, Blades and Ice

HOY GUYS! Remember when I said I'd try to be more consistent and then didn't update for four months? Well I feel like a big jerk for that so I'm giving you two chapter today. Please dun' hurt me...

Also, I was getting a bit frustrated with 's page-break system. I guess this means I have to fix the page-breaks in other chapters, huh? *sigh*

I don't own Naruto, but I do own the paper that I tried to print a report out on the other day, but wound up jamming the ENTIRE PRINTER. I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!

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Far, far, away, in a land outside the Fire Country where the winters could be bitterly cold, a little boy was sitting outside his secluded house in the middle of a forest of pine trees. It was snowing all around him, pure, white, fluffy snow that made the boy laugh with delight. It was always snowing, snowing, snowing here in these woods, but every snowfall was as wonderful and magical as the last to this child. He whirled and danced, his feet kicking up puffs of fallen snow as he tried to catch the still-falling flakes. The snowflakes always melted before he could admire their beauty. If only there was a way for him to see them longer…

The boy stood up and ran over to the water trough his parents used for the horses. Today it was frozen solid again. He brushed his fingertips over the smooth surface of the ice, feeling the coolness start to numb his hands. He started to reach for more snowflakes when he noticed a long, thin icicle hanging from the side of the food trough. He tapped it with his fingernail and it broke away from the trough, landing in the snow.

The little boy picked up the icicle. He wanted to put it somewhere where people could see it. He tried to attach it to the eve of the house but it wouldn't stay put. The boy frowned. He wanted to show someone how pretty it was…as he thought about this, the icicle in his warm hands started to melt. As the boy noticed the melting a small look of panic flitted across his face.

_No, please stay frozen!_ he thought. He took his hands away from the icicle and tried to make it stay in the air. The piece of ice became suspended in the air as the little boy focused on it. He smiled with delight. He didn't know he could do that! He vaguely wondered if he could make the ice form a shape that was even nicer than what it was now. To his surprise and excitement, the ice bent itself to his will and he made it swirl and dance in his hands.

"Are you still out here?" he heard his mother call. "You'll freeze! Come inside and warm yourself up."

The boy ran toward her, carrying his prize. "Look, mama! Look what I can do!" He gazed at the ice wondrously. "It's so pretty!"

He glanced at his mother to see utter shock on her face as well as…fear? She charged forward and grabbed his hands, making him drop the ice. The two of them struggled in the snow for several seconds, his mother shouting with anger. "Stop it! Stop it right now! You wicked, wicked child!"

"M-mama? Mama! Stop!"

Slap.

The boy's cheek stung and he stared at her with hurt and shock on his face. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes and his mother knelt down and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I am so…so…sorry!"

"Mama…"

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Naruto dashed through the tree canopy at a breakneck pace, enjoying the wind whistling past his blood red hair. He was better, in his Hanyou form, at running on all fours than on just two legs. It would make sense, since the extra appendage on his spine messed with his balance—having a tail took some getting used to. Kane kept easy pace with him, even though he still ran on two legs, but that was to be expected. Naruto felt invincible! He had been dashing and jumping around the forest for what seemed to be all day and he wasn't even sweating! Takeru was running just below them on the ground, weaving through the underbrush and looking to be enjoying the exercise.

Kane and Naruto finally came to a stop when they reached a fenced-in training ground, just outside the village wall. By this time the sun was already almost completely set. Naruto had wanted to explore the place, but Kane had pointed out that it was nearing time for Naruto to head home. Naruto's eyes caught the fading sunlight and glowed as he surveyed his friend, a bewildered and slightly embarrassed expression on his face.

"Um…Kane?"

"What?"

Naruto closed his eyes and gave a nervous chuckle. "I don't know how to change back."

Kane looked thoughtful. "Y'know, I never really considered how you were going to change back. Maybe you should—" he fell silent and shushed Naruto, who picked up footsteps walking through the grass just inside the village wall. The footfalls sounded familiar, but at the same time they dragged, like the person was trying to walk as slowly as possible.

Naruto crept through the grass and, after a few minutes of poking around in the shrubs, found what he had been looking for: a small hole underneath the wall that he had spotted earlier that day. He had crawled through it and found himself right on a village street. He had considered telling the Hokage that there was a hole in the wall, but Kane had pointed out that Naruto could only fit through because he was so slim. A fully trained ninja wouldn't fit; so Naruto would get to keep his secret passage. Naruto squeezed underneath the wall and crawled along the tiny tunnel, finally detecting fresh air that indicated he was almost through. By now he had moved away from the footsteps, and they were fading fast, even to his ears. He followed them down the now almost completely dark street, his eyes allowing him to see the silhouette he was catching up to.

_Kit…have you realized that the figure is heading towards the Uchiha compound?_ Takeru sent the thought Naruto's way.

Naruto's back stiffened. He **hadn't **realized that they were, in fact, heading towards the compound. If Naruto looked, he could see the Uchiha's complex coming into view. The silhouette had stopped and was standing in front of the main gate, fingering the hilt of a katana with his right hand.

Naruto got closer, and with a jolt he realized who it was. "Itachi-sama!"

Itachi jumped, clearly startled, and spun around to face his opponent, the blade of his katana pointing in the direction of the voice. "Who is there? Identify yourself!"

Naruto stepped into Itachi's view, forgetting the fact that he was still in Hanyou form. Kane and Takeru had slipped away, not wanting to be seen with and associated with the 'unfamiliar' Hanyou. Takeru informed Naruto that they would be waiting for him in the shadow of a tree, under the _Kitsune-Kakeru_.

Itachi's eyes widened at the sight of the Hanyou. "What is your name?"

Naruto remembered what Kane said about using a fake name, and his mind raced. "My name…is…um…Katsumi!" He hoped Itachi hadn't heard his hesitation.

Itachi stepped closer, not lowering his blade. Naruto stepped into the light of a nearby lamp to let Itachi see him better, and tried to wipe all emotion off of his face.

Itachi's eyes narrowed as he took in Naruto's appearance. "Katsumi… a strange name for someone who looks to be a demon…I suppose that means I shouldn't worry? You certainly don't belong in the village. I've never seen the likes of you around."

Naruto tried to look completely nonchalant. "That's right. I'm a Kitsune Hanyou, a half-fox demon."

Itachi's eyes didn't display any surprise, but the hands holding his katana stiffened. Naruto realized he was wearing his ANBU uniform, minus the mask. "A half…fox demon?" Itachi gave a small smile. "That means I have nothing to fear, isn't that right…Naruto-kun?"

Naruto started, eyes growing big. "How did you—"

Itachi sheathed his sword. "I've been keeping an eye on you, with the help of one of my comrades. I was patrolling near the academy today and I saw you and you friend running into the trees. I started to follow, but I felt a very strange chakra coming from where you had gone and decided against it. I knew that whatever you were up to, it was none of my business." Itachi's smile faded and he turned back to look at the Uchiha compound. He stood there, blankly staring at the compound gate, for several minutes. Naruto started to feel uncomfortable and scuffed his toe on the ground, with tail and ears twitching. Suddenly he heard Itachi begin muttering, almost to himself. "…will be getting home soon…can't let him get involved."

Naruto stepped closer, seeing as he was not about to get poked with Itachi's weapon. "Can't let Sasuke get involved in what?"

Itachi looked at Naruto, as if he had forgotten the academy student was there. Instead of asking how Naruto knew he was talking about Sasuke, he replied with a clipped tone. "It's none of you business, 'Katsumi'. You should probably head home now, shouldn't you?"

Naruto frowned. "It's everything my business, Itachi-sama. Sasuke's my friend. And don't try to lie, because I'll be able to tell." Naruto was bluffing, and he hoped Itachi didn't see it. Kane had told him that when people lied their voice gave them away, but Naruto had yet to be able to tell the difference. After all, he had only had his super-sensitive hearing for a day, and he hadn't actually talked to anyone until now!

Itachi started to give a snarky reply, but he stopped in mid-word as his shoulders drooped. "Very well. I will tell you the truth, because I believe you are trustworthy. Even if you told everybody, it would be thought of as some unbelievable rumor. And it's not like I'll be able to set my foot in this village again, anyway." He looked utterly defeated. "The ANBU have uncovered a plot within my clan for a coup 'de tat. They are planning to overthrow the Hokage and take control of this village. I've been sent to…eliminate the Uchiha clan."

Naruto's heart skipped a beat. Itachi had to…kill his family? What twisted world did the ANBU live in? No wonder Itachi had been so depressed for the past few weeks. He had known he was going to have to eliminate the Uchihas, but he had been waiting for a time when Sasuke wouldn't be there. Naruto realized that Itachi had most likely agreed to be the one to kill his family so that he could make sure Sasuke would be spared. He stood staring at Itachi, wondering if he could get anymore information from the quiet teenager. "Why are they sending you, of all people?" He asked, trying to confirm his thoughts on Itachi's motive.

Itachi's eyes narrowed at Naruto. "It's none of your business. Please, leave the area quickly so that I may complete my mission." As he said this, Naruto detected movement up in one of the trees behind Itachi. Focusing on that spot, he narrowed his eyes and tried to sharpen the image of whatever he had seen. Naruto's two eyes met one blood red eye, with a spiraling black pattern inside them. He tried to look away, but the single-eyed gaze drew him in and he felt his vision going black …

"No," was Naruto's curt reply. "I will eliminate the Uchihas myself."

_What are you saying, kit? _Takeru snapped. _Come, get away from there! You're not thinking straight!_

Naruto felt as though he were in suspended animation, floating in nothingness…he was surrounded by darkness, unable to touch, or see, or hear. Then, out of the darkness came the spiraling pattern of the blood red eye, drawing him in. Naruto's eyes fluttered. He surrendered himself and was drawn into the spiral.

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Itachi was speaking to him, but his words meant nothing. Katsumi lunged past him and made a break for the Uchiha compound. Kane ran in front of him and tried to stop him, but Katsumi brushed him aside with ease. Right now, HE was in control. HE had the superior powers of the Hanyou.

The owner of the single Sharingan eye watched the carnage taking place as his demon killed the Uchihas. He would let Itachi off the hook…for now. After all, he would be the one to take the blame for the massacre, even if he couldn't bring himself to do the dirty work. Not even the Copy-nin, Kakashi, would side with Itachi after tonight. The owner of the single Sharingan watched the massacre and smiled.

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Sasuke arrived at the front gate of the Uchiha compound and immediately noticed that something was terribly wrong. He rounded one corner and stopped short at what appeared to be a scene out of a horror movie. Bloody corpses littered the alley, their faces frozen in looks of disbelief and horror. Sasuke walked along, avoiding the bloody smears all over the street, trying hard not to become frantic. _"Who could have done this? WHO?"_ He was hit like a ton of bricks with a realization and ran to his house, throwing open the front door. "Otousan! Okaasan!" There was no answer, but the house itself seemed to creak and groan in response to the unasked question hanging in the air. Sasuke crept through the empty house, dreading what he might find. They weren't there...they weren't in that room…A tiny voice niggled in the back of his head. _The tea room…_Sasuke walked to the doors of the room, his heart fluttering against his ribs like a frantic bird. He pulled open the door and was greeted with his greatest fear. "_Otousan_!_ Okaasan_! No!" he dropped to his knees, a sob catching in his throat. His hands clenched and unclenched as he stared at the two corpses in the room. Then he caught a flutter of movement in the corner. Itachi stepped into the moonlight, looking as calm as he could.

Sasuke focused on his brother, a look of desperation on his face. "Oniisan! Our parents—" he cut short as he caught a look at the bloody katana on his brother's back. "Wh-what's that sword? Did you…did you get the killer?" His brother's expressionless face gave more away than any emotions could-Sasuke's feeling of desperation turned into disbelief and shock. "Y-you? Did…you kill Otousan and Okaasan?" His voice rose to a high pitch before cracking and falling silent. Itachi closed his eyes, but said nothing. He began to exit the room through the back door. Fast footsteps caught his ear and he turned around in time to see his little brother charging at him with a look of hatred on his face.

"WHY DID YOU KILL THEM? THEY'RE DEAD! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!" Itachi caught Sasuke with a punch under the ribs, causing Sasuke to drop to the floor, wheezing.

Itachi began to speak, his voice cold. He had to make his brother hate him. He had to do it to keep Sasuke safe. "Foolish little brother…you would have done the same thing in my position."

Sasuke was still panting on the floor, staring up at his brother with a look of hate. "Why…what was your position…? Why did you do this, Itachi?"

"I needed…to test the limits of my ability."

The limits of your…ability? That's why…?" Sasuke had a look of fury on his face as he stood up. "THEY'RE DEAD! THEY'RE NEVER COMING BACK! ALL BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO TEST YOURSELF?" He ran at Itachi again, but was stopped when a shuriken bit into his arm. He clutched the cut and stood there, his adrenaline fading away and his anger being conquered by fear. Sasuke wheeled around and ran out the door, leaving his brother behind. As the eight year old ran out through the cold empty streets, tears streamed down his cheeks and his whole body was racked with sobs. He spotted Itachi standing at the end of the street and skidded to a halt, gulping air through his wracking sobs.

Itachi was a silent as death. He needed Sasuke to hate him, no matter how much it stung to see the fear and hate in his little brother's eyes. He also needed to give Sasuke some important information about his best friend…the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki…the one who really killed the Uchiha clan. "I was testing out the Mangekyou Sharingan…it was successful. You, like me, may be able to unlock this forbidden area of our bloodline…but there is a catch. You must kill…your closest friend."

Sasuke's eyes went wide. Closest friend? He remembered the Uchihas that had been asking around about the death of Uchiha Shisui. Itachi's…closest…friend... "Then…you killed Shisui? He was your best friend…you mean to tell me that YOU KILLED YOUR BEST FRIEND?"

Itachi continued as if he hadn't heard, swallowing the regret that tried to well up as Shisui was mentioned. "In the main temple of the Nakano Shrine, under the seventh tatami mat on the far right side of the room, you will find a passage leading to the clan's secret meeting place. There you will find a scroll that contains the information you want pertaining to the Sharingan… the true purpose of our doujutsu." Itachi thought back to Naruto's…no, Katsumi's brutality and suppressed a shudder. It had seemed as if Katsumi was playing the role of someone's puppet…and Itachi thought he knew the puppet master.

However, that hadn't made stopping Katsumi any easier. Kane, the physical human embodiment of the Kyuubi, finally had to forcefully subdue him with Itachi's help. It was only Itachi's Sharingan that slowed Katsumi enough to stop him. He needed Sasuke to help keep the Hanyou personality from surfacing and causing another bloodbath. _"Yes, Katsumi…that name does not fit the Hanyou at all." _Itachi mused. "Little brother…if you want to kill me, then curse me and hate me! Run away, and cling to your pitiful, unsightly life!"

Sasuke was standing stock still, looking torn between charging at Itachi again and running away to get help. His sobs had quieted but his chest still heaved, trying to suck in air. The eight-year old didn't look like he was going to move any time soon…so Itachi moved for him.

"Mangekyou…**Sharingan.**" In these last moments Itachi felt his lip tremble slightly, and a single tear crawled down his cheek as he activated his doujutsu.

It took less than a second for Sasuke to begin screaming, and less than five seconds for him to fall over, unconscious. Itachi gave one last look to his dear brother, whom had always looked up to him, whom always wanted to spend more time with him, but couldn't, and left.

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A/N: Did you like my little side story at the beginning? I thought it would be nice to include a certain character's 'origin' story in here. Props to whoever guesses right!

Cookies go to whoever guessed the identity of the one-eyed Sharingan person.


	15. Chapter 15 The Aftermath

This chapter is really short-sentence dialogue heavy, so it looks really strange on a full computer screen...at least, on my computer screen.

I don't own Naruto, but I do own all my OCs. I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!

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Naruto's lids fluttered open and stared up at the low canopy of trees. It was still dark out. He sat up and saw Kane sitting in the shadow of an oak not too far away. Takeru was nowhere to be seen, probably hiding in the bushes or something like that.

"So you're awake, Naruto-kun."

Naruto jumped at the voice and spun to face- "Oh! Itachi-sama!"

Itachi was leaning against a tree, his eyes closed. He was still in his ANBU uniform, his arms crossed. The eyes opened and focused on the academy student. "Do you remember anything? Anything at all?"

Naruto looked confused. Then it dawned on him. "Oh! Am I still—"

"No, kit." Kane interrupted from the base of the tree trunk. "You are not in your Hanyou form any longer. Do you remember anything else?"

"Um…I remember seeing Itachi-sama outside the Uchiha compound, and then—nothing." Naruto rubbed his head. "Why? What happened?"

Kane and Itachi exchanged a glance that said everything and at the same time told nothing. Itachi turned to face Naruto. "The Uchiha clan has been murdered."

Naruto's heart stopped. "M-murdered? What do you—"

"The smell of blood, Kit," Kane interrupted, "caused you to lose control. It took both me and Itachi to subdue you. When we finally knocked you out, your Hanyou form faded and you returned to normal."

"Forget about me!" Naruto snapped. "What about Sasuke? Is he—I mean, he's not…"

"My Otouto is fine. He was not home at the time of the massacre." Itachi's eyes held no emotion. "He has been found and sent to the Konoha Hospital."

Naruto focused on Itachi, since it seemed Kane wasn't feeling very talkative. "Then why aren't you there with him? He needs you right now, Itachi-sama!"

Itachi looked away. "Sasuke will never want to see me again. I am the prime suspect for the murders."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You? But why?"

"Aside from Sasuke, I am the only Uchiha left alive. They are planning on locking me up as soon as I am caught. Because I have no wish to spend the rest of my life behind bars, I am leaving the village."

Kane noted to himself that Itachi did a fine job of avoiding the question.

Naruto's brain was having a hard time processing this. "But…but! If you leave now, you'll just tack more suspicion onto yourself!"

Itachi gave a small smirk. "It doesn't matter. I am leaving, and I cannot ever return. I will have to be a nuke-nin until the day I die."

Naruto lowered his eyes. "Yesterday, I told Sasuke that I was sure you loved him. He was worried about you, you know. He said you'd been getting really depressed."

Itachi watched Naruto, his eyes betraying nothing.

"I told him that you loved him!" Naruto repeated with anger on his face. "He'll never believe in love again! Do you understand? You've just destroyed what little trust he might have had in people!"

Itachi just closed his eyes and looked away.

"Kit." Naruto whipped around and stared at Kane. "I am not strong enough to subdue you by myself if you go on another rampage. I am too restricted from my demon chakra in this human body. From now on, your Hanyou form is off-limits until we can find someone to aid me in restraining you."

"_Why are you talking about your demon chakra where Itachi can hear you?" _Naruto thought with disbelief as he tried to shush Kane. However, Itachi stepped in and stopped him. "It's fine, Naruto. I know that Kane is Kyuubi, and I can tell that he want to looks out for you." He smiled, a small but genuine expression. "You two remind me of the relationship Sasuke and I used to have." With that sentence the smile faded to be replaced by a sad countenance. "Naruto…Kyuubi is right about your Hanyou form. You can't use it freely if you cannot keep control. I've left Sasuke something that could possibly help, but I don't know if he'll even use it. Even if he finds it, he won't be able to help unless he figures out that you're a Jinchuuriki."

Naruto looked down. "I don't really want him to find out. He's my friend; I don't want to scare him away."

"A true friend will see you, not the fox-demon." Itachi countered. "…But I do understand your fear of rejection. There might be other people who can help. Two of the Legendary Sennin—of course, even if you manage to find them they might not **want** to help. The Hokage might be able to help too, but I don't think you want to tell him, do you?" Naruto shook his head. "I thought not. My ANBU partner, the one who watches you sometimes, knows about you but not the torn seal. The Hokage decided to keep that information from him because he knew that my partner is still incredibly bitter about the attack." Itachi let his arms unfold and fall at his sides, looking unwilling to continue talking. He glanced towards the tree tops, where the horizon would be. "I must leave before dawn. If I am discovered in the village, I will be arrested. Naruto…I suppose this is farewell."

Naruto looked at him disapprovingly. "I guess nothing I can say will convince you to stay here, will it?" He sighed before putting on a brave face. "In that case, Itachi-sama…I vow to try to be Sasuke's new brother. I'll help him, you can count on me! Just…try to keep in contact, okay? When I become a ninja I won't always be in the village…maybe we could help each other out in the field?"

Itachi gave a tentative smile. The young Jinchuuriki was so naive…he saw a knowing smile cross the Kyuubi's face before returning his attention to Naruto. "I won't make any promises, but there is a chance we may cross paths again…but you can't let on to people that you're allying yourself with a nuke-nin. Just be on guard, okay?"

Naruto pounded a fist on his chest with a grin. "You got it!"

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As Itachi walked away, he thought about everything that Kane had told him while they were waiting for Naruto to regain consciousness.

"_Why would Naruto develop such an extreme split personality as this?" Itachi asked the red-haired 'boy' in front of him, careful to keep his own suspicions about what happened to himself._

_Kane was silent for a minute. "He's been hated all of his life…he's been beaten to near-death more times than I would care to remember. I believe that the 'Katsumi' personality is the embodiment of all the hurt and rage he felt as a small child."_

"_To near-death? What are you talking about?" Itachi questioned. "There are only two instances of Naruto being seriously wounded in his hospital record. One was the day he damaged the seal keeping you in, and the other was treatment for poisoning."_

_Kane looked away. "That's because those were the only instances the injuries were made public. The times before that were all done by one or two people, in a secluded area where they were sure the boy wouldn't be found. I was left to heal him on my own, sometimes trying for days to revive him because he was so injured. The day I was almost set free was October tenth, remember? The anniversary of my attack and his sealing. Naruto had gone out of his house, and when he was spotted by a group of people they jumped him out of anger and resentment. And, as you know, after that attack he was adopted by Junko-chan, and his antagonists lost their nerve."_

"_If that were the case, then why has Naruto not remembered the previous encounters where he was almost killed? Something that traumatizing would be remembered even by a very young child."_

_ Kane looked guilty at this. "Back then, I knew that if Naruto remembered the beatings he would be less willing to trust people. I figured that if I sealed those memories away, he'd be easier to trick into removing the seal. Apparently I didn't hide those memories deep enough, because his subconscious is extremely bitter and angry. Unless Naruto manages to gain control of his inner rage, he won't ever be able to control himself when he's a Hanyou."_

_ Itachi nodded. This made a lot of sense, but he knew that there was another cause. The Sharingan. Itachi himself had read the scroll in the Uchiha's meeting place. It was there that he learned that the Sharingan had the power to control the legendary Bijuu._

'_That pent-up hurt and frustration may have made Naruto's mental state unsteady enough to be taken over by the Sharingan as well. Since he is a Jinchuuriki, it might be possible for the Sharingan to have some power over him,' thought Itachi._

_ "But you know," Kane said, interrupting Itachi's thoughts, "I wouldn't think that all of that by itself would be enough to make a Hanyou so vicious…there might be another piece to this puzzle that I'm missing…"_

Itachi looked behind him at the village gates, growing smaller with every step he took. He hoped that Sasuke would be okay on his own. _'I hope you'll never make the mistakes that I did…stay safe, Otouto.'_

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_

When Naruto finally dragged his weary body back to his house, Junko was frantic. She chastised him for being out late, then chastised him about leaving the academy in the middle of the day, then went back to the being out late. Asami was woken by her older sister's rant and wasted no time in telling Naruto, in no simple manner, that he had worried them both and should be grateful that he wasn't getting knocked over the head by both of them. He tried to act cheerful, but as soon as they let him go to his room he collapsed on his bed, looking depressed. Takeru jumped through the window and curled up next to him.

_Some day, wouldn't you say, Kit?_ thought the little fox.

Naruto raised his head and smiled at his friend, resting a hand on Takeru's puppy-sized paw. "I guess so." He turned his head until he was staring up at the ceiling. _'Itachi…I swear I will capture the person that caused you and Sasuke so much pain.' _

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_

Sasuke was not at the academy for an entire week, and when the students tried to find out what happened, Iruka and Mizuki would merely reply: "He has some family issues going on right now; he'll be back soon." Gossip, however, travels like dandelion seeds, and eventually everybody had heard about the Uchiha Massacre. Of course, not everybody had the right version, but…

"I heard that it was a ninja from another nation who did it!"

"No, my mom said it was Sasuke's brother. He murdered his own family."

"Are you both crazy? They were killed by a rogue ninja's summon! It's true!"

"…"

Naruto did not take part in these gossip sessions. He knew more about the Uchiha massacre than anybody else, but he didn't know who did it, or why. All he knew was that Itachi was letting the blame be pinned on himself, instead of letting Konoha put their energy towards catching the real criminal.

To make things harder for Naruto, Kiba had stopped talking to him. Naruto supposed that Kiba had every right to be ticked off at him—after all, he had tried to help Takeru when the little fox was 'sick', and Naruto had brushed him aside. Because Kiba was angry with him, Shikamaru and Chouji had started spending less time with their other classmates, preferring just the company of each other. Kiba and Naruto were the ones who always got the guys together, excluding Shino, who rarely talked to anyone no matter what was happening.

As Naruto sat at his desk pretending to take notes, Sakura leaned towards him with a distraught expression on her face. Ino was pretending not to be interested, but Naruto could tell that she was listening in. "Naruto, you're Sasuke-kun's friend. Is he gonna be alright?" The pink-haired girl whispered anxiously.

Naruto looked her straight in the eye. "I don't know, Sakura-chan. I don't know."

888

Sasuke was back after the weekend. He took a seat in the back corner, farthest away from the window. He didn't speak. He didn't participate. He spent the entire day looking at his desk. The students got the idea and avoided him—even his groupies. This went on for about two weeks before Naruto got sick of looking over and seeing Sasuke simply staring down, not doing anything. He knew that Sasuke must have been hurting. He understood that more than anyone in the room. But Naruto simply could not fathom the amount of pain one experienced when they lost their family. Naruto had been an infant when his parents died, and he'd never come close to losing his surrogate family. If he wanted to see Junko or Asami they were right down the hall. So, he decided that Sasuke needed more support than anything.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun." Naruto said, sitting down next to the Uchiha. Sasuke didn't look up. Naruto continued. "Hey…you know that if you need help with something, I'm right here, 'kay?"

Sasuke's eyes met Naruto's and he raised his head to stare at the blond boy. His face held angry disdain. "You stay away from me…you **dobe**."

Naruto recoiled, pain and bewilderment on his face. _Dobe?_ Why was Sasuke treating him like this all of a sudden? "Sasuke, wh-"

"I meant it! You're nothing but a dobe; all you're doing is dragging me down. Leave me alone!" Sasuke spat.

Naruto sat there, just staring at Sasuke. He scowled. "Fine. That's just fine. If you want to be a **baka**, I won't stop you." He went back to his seat and sat next to Kane, who was watching Sasuke with a slightly bored expression. Takeru was curled up on the desk, but his head was up and his eyes were also fixed on Sasuke. The rest of the day Naruto did not participate in class, mentally stewing over how Sasuke had treated him. There had to be **some** reason for his friend's unfriendliness, but Naruto could not figure out what. He knew that Sasuke would be sad about his parents for some time, but he'd never expected a complete rejection. _Well, if he thinks that he can push me away that easily, then he has another thing coming!_ Naruto firmly decided.

After school Naruto tried again, running to catch up to the Uchiha as he headed out of the school yard. "Hey, Sasuke! Can I talk to-"

"No! Why can't you leave me alone?" Sasuke yelled. "You're always bothering me! Go away, you stupid dobe!"

Naruto drew away from the Uchiha, looking hurt. Kane caught up to Naruto and laid a hand on the Jinchuuriki's shoulder. "Don't go after him, Naruto. You'll only make it worse. I know you want to keep your promise to Itachi-san, but you need to wait for Sasuke to come to you."

Naruto hung his head, looking dejected. "I told him that Itachi loved him…that was the same day his family was murdered. And he thinks Itachi was the murderer." He felt something bushy brush his leg and picked up Takeru, stroking the fox's soft fur.

Kane didn't meet Naruto's gaze. "Come on; let's go to the training field."

Naruto looked up. "Kane, can I just go home? I don't feel like training today."

Kane didn't sigh, like Naruto thought he would. He studied the blond-haired boy's face with his intense blue eyes. "Okay. You deserve a day off. I know you're hurting for your friend." He put his hands in his pockets and walked down the street in the direction of his apartment. Naruto put Takeru down and told him to go with Kane. Takeru looked like he disapproved, but left anyway. Naruto watched their fleeting forms before turning and walking in the direction of the Uchiha compound.

888

The Uchiha compound was roped off with strips of police tape. As he stood in front of the Uchiha compound's main gate, Naruto could just pick up the scent of old blood. His senses had vastly improved since he had gotten his Hanyou form, smell being the most improved. The smell tickled his nostrils and made him shudder, remembering the drunkard shinobi that had confronted him three years previously and wound up paying for it—with his life. As Naruto ducked under the police tape and walked past the gate, he looked to his right and saw what looked like a small shop. He approached it and recoiled with a sharp intake of breath—the smell of blood was strong here, even after three weeks. He could pick up dried blood on the wall of the shop, along with…a child-sized handprint? He started to walk closer, but the stench got the best of him and he continued past the shop. He looked to the left past the shop and saw a street. He turned and crept down it, the silence making him almost afraid to breathe. He passed bloodstain after bloodstain, holding his breath and running past the big ones to keep the dusty iron smell from fully reaching his nose. He turned another corner and saw what looked to be the largest house in the district down the pathway. He got closer and closer until he was standing directly in front of the house, staring at the door.

It was ajar.

Naruto approached the door and peered in the house. It was cold and unfriendly, and there was the thinnest layer of dust beginning to coat the surfaces. He started to enter the house and looked back to see if he was being followed. His eyes landed on a crack in the wall across the street, in the middle of an Uchiha crest. His eyes lingered on that for several seconds before entering the house. The beams groaned and creaked, as if they did not like welcoming a stranger into their midst.

There was a kitchen area to the right, and to the left was a hallway that Naruto assumed was where the bedrooms were. He took the hallway and walked down it, staring at the closed doors but not wanting to open them. He found what looked like a pass-through between the house and the yard and entered it, being careful not to knock his shin on the low table in the center of the room. Past that room, there was a wraparound porch that circled the majority of the house. A small garden was set up out here, with a fountain and deer-scare in the middle of a decorative pond. Naruto followed the porch until he found a wide double-door leading to another room in the house. Naruto was going to ignore it, but his curiosity got the best of him and he pulled the heavy antique doors open.

This room reeked of blood. Naruto's hand went to his face and he pinched his nose shut, blocking out the horrible smell. The room had been closed off so the stale air was still strong with the blood scent. There were bloodstains all over what Naruto deduced was the tea room, with the largest being splashed in the center of the floor. It looked like there had been a struggle, and when whoever was in here was subdued, their body was dragged to the middle of the room to continue spilling life fluid. Naruto had seen enough. He turned and ran from the room, out of the house, ignoring the black cat that hissed accusingly as he passed.

Outside the house, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief that was cut short as his eyes found the crack in the wall again. It intrigued him. He stepped closer to see the crack better…and heard a faint splash from down the alley.

Naruto backed away from the wall and set off in the direction of the sound. _"Everyone here is dead, who is making noises?"_ He zigzagged through the labyrinth of streets and alleys until he found what appeared to be a park. There was a garden set up, with benches that looked down on a middle sized lake at the bottom of the hill. Naruto walked to the top of the steps and stopped to scrutinize the figure sitting on the dock down there, dripping wet. It was Sasuke.

Though Naruto was some distance away, he could pick up on faint mutterings coming from the lone Uchiha. He concentrated chakra to his ears, taking Kane's advice on how to better improve his senses. He could make out Sasuke's words, being repeated over and over to himself.

"…hate you, despise you…I will surpass you, brother. One day, I will be the one to see you to your grave. Count on it."

Naruto had heard enough. Anguish, sorrow, and regret welled up inside of him. He gave the boy on the dock one final glance before turning and leaving.

888

**Nuke-nin:** Rogue Ninja

**Dobe: **Dead last


End file.
